banoffee loaf cake

Mary Berry's plain banana loaf has become my favourite banana loaf recipe to play around with, whether it's chucking in extra ingredients or slathering on a different icing. This time I decided to add a soft set fudge/toffee icing to create a banoffee flavour and mmmmmm, it's good.

My cake certainly won't win any beauty contests (take note, the icing really does set as soon as you pour it onto the cake, don't try to spread it) but it most definitely tastes delicious. Loaf cakes are meant to look a bit more rustic anyway...

I really don't know what else to say, other than I'm tempted to make more of the fudge icing just to eat by itself. That's probably not the best idea though when I have a dentist appointment in 2 weeks. Don't want to rot my teeth completely before then. I'm fairly sure I need at least one filling as it is!

Banoffee loaf cake

Loaf recipe from Mary Berry. Icing recipe from Primrose Bakery.

loaf:

100g (4oz) softened butter/margarine

175g (6oz) golden caster sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 bananas

225g (8oz) self-raising flour

1 level tsp baking powder

2 tbsp milk

icing:
45g unsalted butter
4 and 1/2 tbsp semi-skimmed milk
165g light, soft brown sugar
180g icing sugar, sifted
1/2 tsp good quality vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/Gas 4 and line a 2lb loaf tin with baking parchment. Put all the ingredients except the chocolate chips in a large bowls and mix together for about 2 minutes until smooth and well combined. Stir in the chocolate chips before pouring the mixture into the prepared loaf tin. 

Bake in the middle of the oven for roughly 1 hour until well risen, firm to touch and skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.

For the icing, combine the butter, milk and brown sugar in a heavy based saucepan on the hob over a high heat. Stirring continuously, bring the mixture to a boil. Allow it to boil for 1 minute, then remove from the heat and stir in half of the icing sugar. Allow the mixture to cool slightly, then add the rest of the icing sugar and vanilla extract and stir until it thickens to the desired consistency. Pour over the cake and leave to set. If it sets too quickly in the pan you can always soften it up by putting it back on the hob over a low heat.