Here’s an ideal tea-time treat – a nice easy sponge cake with a subtle tang of lemon and topped with a tasty combination of bananas and pecans to give texture as well as flavour.

Serves: 10 slices

Time: 15 – 20 min. hands-on, then 50 – 60 min. baking

Level: Easy

Need: A 20cm/8” loose bottomed round tin

Ingredients

150g/5½oz butter or Stork + some to grease the tin
175g/6oz white caster sugar
2 medium eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
Zest from one lemon
275g/9½oz self-raising flour
Pinch of salt
125ml/4½fl oz buttermilk
2 medium bananas
10 – 12 pecan halves (or use walnuts)
A sprinkling of Demerara sugar (optional)
A sprinkling of icing sugar (also optional)

Method

1. Grease the tin and line the base with baking parchment then dust lightly with flour. Turn the oven on to 180°C / fan 160°C / 350°F / Gas 4.

2. Beat the butter and sugar together until light and creamy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, with a little of the flour to avoid them curdling.

3. Mix in the vanilla extract and lemon zest then stir in the buttermilk. Sift in the flour and salt and mix just to combine. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and level the surface.

4. Cut the bananas into pieces of a similar size and arrange on top. Add in the pecan halves. Don’t press them in – they’ll sink a little anyway. (The Demerara can be sprinkled over now for a slightly caramelised top or added after baking or left out altogether.)

5. Bake for around 50 – 55 minutes, but check at 45, especially if you sprinkled Demerara on top, just in case it’s getting a bit dark. Test with a skewer and if it comes out clean and dry, the cake has baked.

6. Leave to cool in the tin for 15 – 20 min. then turn out onto a wire rack to cool fully. Dust with icing sugar before serving, or leave as it is.

I hope you enjoy this lovely 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.

Here are a few of my cakes I’d love you to try:

Honey and Almond Cake