Walnut, Date and Honey Cake

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cupsself-rising flour
• 1/2 tspground cinnamon
• 3/4 cupbutter, softened
• 1/2 cupdark brown sugar
• 3 tbspclear honey, 2 tbsp in batter, 1 tbsp drizzled over the cooled cake
• 2eggs, beaten
• 2bananas, medium, mashed
• 2/3 cupstoned dates, chopped with kitchen scissors
• 1/2 cupwalnuts, broken into pieces; scattered over the top before baking

Method

1. 1

   Heat the oven to 325°F/275°F fan/gas 3. Butter a 900 g loaf pan and line the base and long sides with parchment paper, buttering the paper too.

2. 2

   Mash the bananas to a purée and snip the dates into small pieces with kitchen scissors, which is far easier than chopping them with a knife.

3. 3

   Put the flour, cinnamon, softened butter, dark brown sugar, 2 tbsp of the honey and the beaten eggs into a large bowl, then add the mashed banana and the dates.

4. 4

   Beat it all together for 2–3 minutes with a wooden spoon or a hand mixer, until the batter is evenly colored with no streaks of flour.

5. 5

   Spoon it into the pan, level the surface and scatter the broken walnuts over the top.

6. 6

   Bake for 1 hour, then press the middle gently. It should feel firm and spring back; if it dips, give it another 10 minutes.

7. 7

   Let it settle in the pan for 15 minutes, then lift it out by the paper and leave it to go completely cold.

8. 8

   Drizzle the last tbsp of honey over the cooled loaf and cut it into thick slices.