Bananas can come to maturity quite quickly so using them in baking can be a useful way of making something wonderful from depth of their mature flavour.

Once the bananas are mashed, this is an easy two bowl cake using just a whisk and a wooden spoon to mix the wet and dry ingredients. It is very quick cake to mix and quick to bake.

The full flavour of the bananas marries well with the best one hundred percent Canadian maple syrup, ground cinnamon and orange zest. Along with the self raising flour, the base is olive oil and uses only two eggs and 1/4 cup of milk. The addition of the raisins offers a perfect pop of sweetness as well as added moisture. It is quite an economical cake.

The resulting cake is very moist and not too sweet but is well balanced and delicious.

I have chosen to make my cake in a square cake tin and so the cake is a flatter cake but it cuts into nice pieces to have with tea or coffee. It took only 30 minutes to bake.

You may choose to use a loaf tin to make a taller cake. Test well at the 30 minute mark as the baking time may then vary slightly due to the extra depth.

I like to eat my cake as it is, but you may choose to decorate it with your favourite frosting or with just a dusting of icing sugar.

I am sure that you will enjoy this quick and easy banana cake.

Spiced Banana Cake with Raisins

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup of Olive Oil
• 1/2 cup Maple Syrup
• 2 large eggs
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 3/4 cups Self Raising flour, sifted
• 1/2 cup of raisins, tossed in flour to separate them
• Zest of 1 orange

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 C and line a baking pan with baking paper. (I have used a 22cm square tin)

2. Sift the flour with the cinnamon and salt

3. In a large bowl, whisk maple syrup and oil to combine

4. In another bowl, whisk eggs, zest, vanilla essence and milk

5. Pour the egg mixture into the oil/maple syrup mixture and whisk till well combined

6. Add the mashed banana to the mixture and whisk till well combined

7. Add the flour gradually, whisking well after each addition to combine till all the flour is incorporated

8. The mixture will now have become quite thicker so, using a wooden spoon, incorporate the floured raisins well

9. Pour the mixture into the lined baking pan

10. Bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer comes out cleanly and the cake is well browned

11. When fully baked, remove the baking pan from the oven and allow the cake to rest for 10 minutes to cool and then remove it to a cooling rack

12. Frost the cake to your liking or serve it with a dusting of icing sugar with tea or coffee as an afternoon treat