Not only is this the easiest ever Banana Sponge Cake, it’s equally likely to be the quickest. And maybe, just maybe, one of the tastiest. It’s a very “PST” cake. (Plain, Simple, Tasty)

Makes: 1 Loaf cake (10 – 12 slices, depending how generously or frugally you cut it.)

Level: Super easy

Time: Super quick. OK, if you insist on specifics, I’d say you could have it in the oven in 12 – 15 minutes.*

Need: A large mixing bowl, a loaf tin, a couple of small bowls, one of which is oven proof, and (ideally, but not essentially) an electric hand mixer

* In fact I’ve waffled on below in so much detail that reading the recipe will take longer than actually doing what it says. Sorry, just trying to be helpful. If it’s a problem for you just ignore the green italicised bits.

Ingredients

300g/10½oz Self raising flour
150g/5¼oz caster sugar
Pinch of salt
150ml/5¼oz milk
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
80g/3oz melted butter or baking spread
2 or 3 bananas (oldish ones with skins that are beginning to go a bit dark**)

** If you only have fresh, hard bananas, stab them a few times with a fork then blast them in the microwave for a couple of minutes. But take care when you peel them; they’ll be hot and steamy inside.

Method

1. Butter and line the loaf tin with parchment paper. (Or, to be even speedier just drop a pre-shaped parchment liner into the tin.) Turn the oven on to 180°C / fan 160°C / 350°F / Gas 4. Weigh the butter into your oven proof bowl and pop it in the oven to melt the butter. (I like to put a baking tray in the oven and later sit the cake tin on top while baking. It makes it easier to handle and can catch any spillage.)

2. Put the flour, sugar and salt into the bowl and give them a quick mix. Crack the eggs into a small bowl and briefly mix. Then stir the vanilla extract into the eggs.

3. Pour the milk, the egg mixture and the melted butter into the dry mix. Now it’s time to add the bananas. You might want to put them in a bowl and attack them with a fork. I don’t bother with that. I just peel them and give them a good squeeze with my bare hands. It’s messy, but it gets the job done quickly with only my hands to wash up.

4. Stir it all together briefly then get stuck in with your electric mixer. But only beat until there are no lumps and no dry flour. Overbeating will produce a tough cake.

5. It will be a very loose mixture (don’t worry). Pour it into the prepared tin. Tap the tin on your work surface a couple of times to release any air bubbles, then put it in the oven and bake for 70 – 75 minutes.

6. Test it in the normal way – sticking a toothpick or prong of some sort in. If it comes out dry the cake will be done. Leave it in the tin for 5 – 10 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool fully.

I hope you enjoy this very nice easy cake. If you want more cake recipes click this link, or have a look at my site for lots of other great recipes, both sweet and savoury. Below are a few that I’d love you to try:

Honey and Almond Cake (a tasty cake with fairly healthy ingredients)