20 Mar, 2024
Banana bread cake with peanut butter and Oatly yogurt icing
The only cake you need on your Easter table this year ... Whilst there is always an occasion that demands an overly sweet cake, I do prefer a more subtle sweetness to mine. They still need to feel indulgent, of course, but I find that when cakes are overly sweet the only thing you can taste is precisely that. When cakes are balanced with sweet, sour and umami flavours that’s when the real cake eating joy is at its peak. And this cake, needless to say, does the job perfectly. The natural caramel-like sweetness of the bananas and dates is cut through with the saltiness of the nut butter and slightly sour notes from the fresh yoghurty icing. A really unique combination of flavours, and a bit of a palette-cleanser after all the chocolate.
RecipesINGREDIENTS
For the cake
- 3 bananas, with almost black skin, the more over ripe the better
- 100g coconut sugar
- 1 egg
- 100g vegan spread or butter
- 150g self raising flour, we’ve used Doves Gluten-Free
- ½ tsp baking powder
For the Peanut butter and yogurt cream
- 150g dates, pitted
- 100ml boiling water
- 4 heaped tablespoons of peanut butter, we've used Manilife as we find it’s the best
- 4 heaped tablespoons of yogurt, we used Oatly vegan yogurt but normal dairy yogurt works too.
METHOD
- To make the banana bread, peel the bananas and place them in a large mixing bowl. Mash well and then add the coconut sugar and combine. Whisk the egg in a separate bowl and then add to the mixture along with the spread. Whisk until fairly smooth, with the banana in the mix it will never be as smooth as a standard cake mix.
- Add in the flour and baking powder and fold it through. Line a small cake tin with greaseproof paper and tip the mixture in. Bake in the oven at 180 degrees for 25-35 minutes until cooked throughout, stick a knife in the centre and it should come out dry.
- Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool for 30 minutes or so and then cover the top with a sheet of brown paper and place in the fridge for 2 hours or overnight until you’re ready to ice it. I find it’s best to wait until the moment you’re ready to eat it and then ice it rather than icing it and then refrigerating it.
- When you are ready to make the icing, remove your cake from the fridge and let it come to room temperature, it will take about a hour, while you prepare the icing.
- Place the dates in boiling water and leave to soak for ten minutes until softened. Then tip them, along with the water, into a food processor and blitz to a smooth paste. Tip the paste into a mixing bowl and combine with the peanut butter. Place this in the fridge for at least 30 minutes so that it is completely chilled. Then mix in the yogurt and chill again for 30 minutes or so, or until the cake is ready to ice.
- Slice the cake in half through the centre so you have two rounds of cake. Place three quarters of the icing on the first round and spread it evenly. Then place the second half on top and dollop the remaining icing on top and gently spread it evening all over the top. Sprinkle with some freshly cut nuts, I’ve chosen almonds.
Pour yourself and the other cake eaters a cup of tea and enjoy!
