Moist, firm and tasty, with a lovely topping, these make a great afternoon tea treat.
Makes: 16 or 20 pieces
Time: Prep: 30 minutes, Bake: around 45 minutes, Cool: 30 + 30, Finish off: 15 minutes.
Level: Easy
Equipment: A 20cm/8” square tin
Ingredients
Cake
- Melted butter or oil for greasing the tin
- 175g/6oz plain white flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 175g/6oz unsalted butter, softened
- 175g/6oz golden caster sugar
- 3 eggs, beaten
- Zest of 1 lemon + 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 ripe banana, mashed^
- 140g/5oz carrots, coarsely grated
- 40g/1½oz walnuts, finely chopped
Topping
- 250g/9oz Soft cheese*
- 70g/2½oz icing sugar
- 1 more ripe banana, mashed^
- 16 or 20 walnut pieces (one for each piece of cake)
^Tip: If you only have unripe bananas you can still use them. Stab the skins several times with a fork then blast them in the micro wave a few times until soft and dark. Take care unpeeling them as steam may have built up inside.
* Use Ricotta for a soft & light topping. Use Philadelphia or Mascarpone for a firmer, richer topping. Don’t try using low fat or fat-free cream cheese, they won’t work.
Method
1. Preheat oven to 160C/fan 140C/325F/Gas 4. Grease and line the tin.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder and nutmeg into a bowl. Mix together then add in the butter, caster sugar, eggs and lemon zest. Beat until smooth then stir in the lemon juice, banana, carrots and walnuts.
3. Pour or spoon the mixture into the tin and level the surface. Bake for 42 – 52 minutes, until risen, firm and pulling away from the sides of the tin. Alternatively, use a slender skewer inserted into the middle of the cake. If it comes out clean, it’s ready.
4. Leave in the tin for about 5 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool fully.
5. For the topping, use an electric mixer to beat together the cheese, icing sugar and banana. Spread evenly over the cooled cake and put in fridge for about half an hour.
6. Remove from fridge and cut into pieces (either 4 x 4 or 5 x 4) add a piece of walnut to each piece of cake to finish them off.
Click this link for more tasty traybake recipes. Two of my special favourites that I’m sure you’ll love too are these: Coffee and Walnut Blondies and Strawberry Millionaires Shortbread.
Or have a look at my site for lots of other great sweet and savoury recipes. If you’d like to make a comment or ask a question please do, via the contact page.
Retired Bloke on Food n stuff 