Nigella's Chocolate-Topped Banana Cake

Nigella Lawson and I seem to have one thing in common, which is a dislike of throwing away old bananas.   Bananas ripen so quickly!  One minute you’re looking at a totally green bunch that leave a film on the teeth if you were misguided enough to eat one, and the next they’re attracting fruit flies by the score.    My chickens won’t touch them – they dig in enthusiastically for a moment and then wipe their beaks on the ground in disgust!    Fortunately, for those sick of making yet another loaf of banana bread, Nigella has come to the rescue.  

Chocolate Topped Banana Cake

Chocolate-topped Banana Cake

Cake:

12 oz/350g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
8.5oz/250g soft butter
8.5oz/250g white sugar (I used pale brown soft)
3 or 4 overripe medium bananas – total weight with skins 1lb/450g, peeled and broken into chunks
2tsp vanilla
4 large eggs
 

Icing:
30ml water, 30ml rum (optional but delicious)
2 tbsp golden syrup
2oz/50g dark brown/muscovado sugar
6oz/175g milk chocolate finely chopped (I used dark)
Sprinkles (if wished)

Preheat the oven to 180 deg C, line a 23cm springform cake tin with parchment, and grease with butter.   Mix the flour and raising agents.  In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar before adding the bananas, then the vanilla.  Don’t look, it’s not pretty! Add the eggs slowly, beating after each one and alternating with flour so that the mixture doesn’t curdle. 

Pour the batter into the tin and bake for approx 40-50 minutes until it is well risen and golden, or until a warm skewer comes out clean(ish).  Slow is best, so don't be afraid to cook it longer.  If it starts to brown on the top, cover loosely with a sheet of foil.   Don’t take it out of the tin until it is cool.

When the cake is cool, mix the rum, water, syrup and sugar in a small saucepan, stirring to dissolve the sugar crystals before putting it onto a low heat.  Nigella says not to stir it once it is on the heat, but allow it to boil and take it off again.  Now add the chocolate and swirl it around in the liquid so it melts before whisking it to combine. At this point it gets thick and shiny.   

If you want to keep all of the icing in one place, put the cake on a large serving plate before pouring over the icing.   When you pour, let it drip down the sides of the cake as well, and then quickly put on the sprinkles.