Banana Sticky Toffee Cake

 

When I asked my wife what cake she wanted to make for her work bake off competition, her immediate answer was the banana sticky toffee pudding. However, this version has been reinvented so that it can be enjoyed cold and without an argument over the toffee sauce. It's definitely not one if you don't have a sweet tooth, and could do with some more toffee sauce if being eaten as a pudding. But these things aside, it is delicious. 

If you fancy changing it up, you could try it adding dried fruit or nuts to give it an additional texture and flavour. Alternatively, if you prefer a richer and stronger molasses flavour, you could swap out the golden syrup for black treacle. If you don't own a bundt tin, this cake would also work well as individual muffins or a loaf cake. To do so, just reduce the baking time.

Recipe - Makes 1 large bundt cake

For the cake:

• 105g margarine
• 120g dark brown sugar
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 120g golden syrup
• 225g self-raising flour
• 3 bananas (1/2 mashed and 1/2 thinly sliced)
• 60ml milk 
• Melted butter and flour, for greasing

For the sauce:

• 40g butter
• 60g light brown sugar
• 120ml double cream

Start by preparing the bundt tin. To do this, brush melted butter all over the inside of the tin and dust with flour, making sure it's fully covered. Set aside whilst you make the cake batter. Preheat the oven to 190C (or 170C for fan oven).

Cream the margarine and sugar together in a bowl until light and pale. Gradually add the eggs, whisking, followed by the golden syrup. Sift in the flour and fold in, then add the banana and milk, mixing gently until it is fully distributed. Spoon the cake mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. 

Remove the cake from the oven and set aside for a few minutes to cool, before gently loosening the edges with a palette knife and tipping the cake onto a cooling rack. Leave to cool. 

Meanwhile, make the toffee sauce. Put all the ingredients into a pan and cook on a low heat until melted. Bring to the boil then pour into a bowl and leave aside to cool, transferring to the fridge once cool enough.

Once the cake has fully cooled, take a piping bag fitted with a thin icing nozzle and fill with the toffee sauce. Drizzle over the cake to decorate, then serve.