Banana Cake

Intro

As a child bride I never made banana cakes after the first one because it was greeted with "Its not as good as Mums". The marriage didn't last (there is a lesson in there lads). So each time I bake I still aim for the Ultimate Cake and take my time and sieve and measure and beat and cream and test carefully. 

I struggled with Chocolate Cake for years but have got it sorted now. I have never managed the perfect Madeira Cake, still strive to get that one hammered, but I make a jolly good Coconut Cake and Banana Cake. 

Duck eggs changed everything. One year Bloke #2 and I went to a poultry show and lord knows how, but we left with 2 black Cayugas, 2 white Pekins, 2 guinea fowls and 3 fluffy rabbits. (Not my idea). Luckily we had a third of an acre, an unused paddling pool and a spare shed.... Anyway one day one of the Pekins came proudly out from under the shed with 8 wee babies waddling behind her - the same day that Bloke #2 brought home 8 more baby ducklings a friend of his had hatched under his chickens. That was a nice surprise ... So 4 became 20, our backyard became trashed and we had eggs coming out our flippin' ears! 

Duck eggs are just gorgeous for baking. They have huge yellow yolks, are bigger than hen eggs and result in light, fluffy yellow cakes. I use the same number of duck eggs as hen eggs - and the recipes work just fine. I don't have Bloke #2 or the ducks anymore, thankfully, but I can buy duck eggs from the local market garden whenever I want them. 

Recipe

• 125g butter
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3 very ripe bananas
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• half cup chopped walnuts
• 3/4 cup self raising flour
• 3/4 cup plain flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs 1 at a time beating well after each. Add a teaspoon of flour if needed to stop the mixture splitting. Add the lightly mashed bananas and vanilla. Stir in walnuts, then the sifted flours and soda in 2 batches. Mix well. Pour into a greased and floured ring tin and bake in a moderate oven for 40 minutes or until cooked when tested. (no icky stuff on a knife poked in).