Pinewood Cookery Club Charity Event (Banana Cake)

This weekend was the first time I made cakes that were eaten by people other than my family and friends! It was a scary but fantastic experience! I recently signed up to the Pinewood Cookery Club, a community club started up by a lovely couple, Roger and Lorna. It's based at Pinewood Nursery in Slough and they run regular coffee mornings and supper clubs. If you're from the area do look at their facebook site to find out about upcoming events: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Pinewood-Cookery-Club-Stoke-Poges/463515693685735.

This weekend they hosted a cake and recipe book sale to raise money for BucksVision, a charity supporting people with sight impairment within Buckinghamshire. As an optometrist I work with people with vision impairment on a daily basis so this is a charity very close to my heart. It was a great honour to be able to combine my love of baking with helping a great cause. I made the vanilla cupcakes I posted recentley, as well as my many times tried and tested recipe for banana cake. They both seemed to go down a treat. This banana cake is the easiet cake recipe I have ever made and it is a fantastic way to use up those overripe bananas that seem to always end up sitting on my kitchen counter looking rather unattractive! Plus it tastes amazing with a cup of tea!

Banana Cake

(prep 20 mins, baking 1 hour 10 mins)

 (the banana cake is the one in the middle, at the back!)

 

Ingredients

4oz butter

4 oz sugar (demerera works best)

8oz self raising flour (sifted)

2 eggs

3 very ripe bananas

2 tablespoons honey or golden syrup

Method

- Heat the oven to 180 degrees fan

- Grease a 2lb loaf tin

- Mash the bananas 

- Cream together the butter, sugar and eggs. This can be done with a wooder spoon or with an electic whisk on a low setting. If using an electric whisk mix it until the ingredients are just combined but not too smooth

- Stir in the mashed bananas

- Mix in the flour

- Stir in the honey or golden syrup

- Scrape the mixture into the loaf tin

- Bake for 40 minutes

- Lower the temperature to 150 degrees and cook for another 25-30 minutes until a skewer comes out clean

- Leave to cool on a wire rack
- Enjoy with a cup of tea!