Banana Nut Loaf Cake with Cinnamon Icing

I have created this recipe from adapting and combining different recipes, to come out with this winner of a cake. A great way to use up over-ripe bananas!

The Recipe

Ingredients:

For the cake

• 4oz/ 115g Butter/Margarine
• 6oz/ 170g Sugar (Soft brown sugar gives the cake a richer flavour)
• 8oz/ 230g Self-raising flour (Use wholemeal if possible, for texture)
• 2 eggs (Medium, but makes little difference)
• 3 over-ripe bananas
• 2oz/ 50g Walnuts, roughly chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg

For the icing

•  3.5oz/100g icing sugar (may need more, depends on how much icing you want)
• Cinnamon, to taste (as a guide 1 tsp)
• Water 

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4/ 180C/ fan 160C. Make sure the butter/margarine and eggs are at room temperature.
2. Grease and line the base of a 2lb loaf tin (or separate into smaller ones, less cooking time needed).
3. Skin all the bananas and mash into a pulp with a fork in a bowl and set aside.
4. Put the butter/margarine and sugarinto a large bowl and cream together, using an electric wisk or by hand using a wooden spoon.
5. Mix the eggs into the creamed mixture a little at a time, mixing in the same way.
6. Pour the mashed bananas into the large bowl with the eggy mixture. Stir them together with a spatula or wooden spoon.
7. Fold in the flour and spices, making sure that all is combined. Then add the walnuts.
8. Pour into the prepared loaf tin and bake in the middle of the oven for 40 minutes; after that lower the temperature to gas mark 2/ 150C/ fan 130C and cook for another 20-30 minutes.
9. Meanwhile, make the cinnamon icing. Tip the icing sugar into a smallish bowl and add enough water so that it drizzles well off of the spoon. Then add the cinnamon, adding a little then ajusting to taste.
10. When the cake is ready, a skewer comes out clean if put into the centre of the cake, take out of the oven and leave to cool in the tin on a wire rack.
11. The cooled cake can then be transfered onto a serving dish. Then, using a teaspoon, drizzle the icing over the cake in a zig-zag pattern.
12. Watch it dissapear!