This recipe, with its gentle spicing and injection of molasses, is not dissimilar in texture and flavour to a dark and sticky Jamaican ginger cake. Creamy banana and sweet cinnamon are a good match, and the kick of allspice really brings out the banana flavour, while the cream cheese frosting takes it from an everyday bake to a spectacular one. Make it for a friend who needs cheering up or push candles into it for a birthday; it’s the kind of bake that brings a smile to your face.
• 150g unsalted butter, melted and cooled (plus extra for greasing)
• 4 very ripe bananas (about 450–500g peeled), mashed until smooth
• 130g soft light brown sugar
• 50g molasses or treacle (blackstrap molasses)
• 2 eggs
• 50g sour cream
• 200g plain flour
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp allspice
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 200g icing sugar
• 100g unsalted butter, softened
• 165g cream cheese, at room temperature
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan (350°F/Gas 6). Grease the base and sides of a 20cm deep springform cake tin and line the base with baking parchment.
2. Mash the bananas until smooth. In a large bowl, whisk together the mashed banana, butter, sugar, molasses, eggs and sour cream. Add the flour, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Mix until just combined. Pour into the tin and bake for 45–50 minutes until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool completely in the tin.
3. For the frosting, beat the icing sugar and butter until pale and fluffy. Add the cream cheese and beat briefly until smooth.
4. Turn the cooled cake out onto a plate and top with thick cream cheese frosting. Refrigerate if needed before serving.
Baked bananas with maple, rum and cinnamon – Preheat oven to 200°C fan (400°F/Gas 7). Halve 6 bananas and top with 1 tbsp butter, 2 tbsp maple syrup, 2 tbsp dark soft brown sugar, 3–4 tbsp spiced rum and 2 tsp ground cinnamon. Bake for 15 minutes, then serve with vanilla ice cream.
