A moist light banana bread, studded with sweet juicy dates with a crunchy sugared topping.
- 1 tablespoon ground linseed / flaxseed (or 1 egg equivalent)
- 3 tablespoons water (to mix with the flax)
- 300 g bananas (approximately 3 medium) Plus extra for decorating if required
- 50 ml oil (I used olive oil)
- 80 g sugar (I used a mix of brown & white)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 210 g plain flour
- 5 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 3 teaspoons cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- 90 g chopped (destoned) dates (the softer the better) plus a bit of flour for dusting
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Mix the flaxseed with the water and set aside to thicken.
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Mash the bananas in a large mixing bowl until you have a lumpy puree.
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Stir the oil and the sugar into the bananas. Add the vanilla to the flax and add this in too.
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Add the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate, cinnamon and salt and gently mix in until everything is combined.
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Dust your dates with a sprinkle of flour, then fold them through the cake batter.
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Spoon into a lined or greased loaf tin and gently tap the tin on the worktop to make the cake level. Decorate with extra banana if desired and a sprinkle of sugar (brown is best for this). Bake at Gas Mark 4 (350f / 180c) for 50-60 minutes. The cake is cooked when it is pulling away from the sides of the tin. Allow to cool in the tin for at least 30 minutes, then remove and finish cooling on a wire rack.
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Enjoy! :)
