Coconut and Banana Cake Recipe

I love to bake cakes and will try to find recipes I can make with the ingredients I have in the cupboard.

My husband is also lactose intolerant and so cooking with dairy does not agree with him. I came across this cake and gave it a go. I love coconut and always have coconut milk in the house from making Thai curries. I also always end up with leftover bananas. So throwing them into this cake mixture was perfect.

It is quite a heavy cake, so a small slice goes well with a cup of tea in the afternoon. A big chunk after lunch may make you feel a bit sluggish!

Grease and line a deep cake tin and put aside. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees centigrade.

Ingredients:

• 185 g butter (or dairy free margarine)
• 1 cup caster sugar
• 4 medium eggs
• 1 mashed ripe banana
• half a cup of chopped walnuts
• 3 cups self raising flour
• 150 ml coconut milk or 3/4 of a cup of coconut powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon

For the Frosting:

125 g cream cheese (or lactose free cream cheese)

30 g butter / dairy free margarine

1 tbsp runny honey

Approx 2 cups icing sugar, sifted

Using an electronic whisk, cream together the butter and sugar until light and pale in colour.

Gradually beat in the eggs, one at a time, along with the banana and walnuts.

Mix in the coconut milk and some of the flour, adding more flour as you mix. Fold in the remainder of the flour using a spoon and add the cinnamon.

Spoon the mixture evenly into the cake tin and cook in the centre of the oven for around 1 to 1 1/4 hours.

Keep a check on the cake as it cooks. It will be ready when it springs up when pressed at the top, and a skewer comes out clean when poked in the middle of the cake.

When the cake is cooling and turned onto a wire rack, you can make up the delicious honey frosting. Again, I make it with lactose free cream cheese, but any plain cream cheese is fine.

Beat together the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Use a whisk to remove any lumps. Then mix in the honey.

Next start to sift in the icing sugar. Do this a bit at a time and beat into the mixture. Keep adding it through the sieve. The frosting should be glossy and thick. If you require more icing sugar then add more.

As soon as your cake has cooled you can decorate it with the frosting. Layer it on the top and if you wish on the side as well. It depends how rich you like it!

You can also decorate with walnuts.

Enjoy your cake with your afternoon tea, or try making coconut banana cupcakes with the honey frosting. Decorate the tops with a walnut or dessicated coconut and bake in coloured paper cases.

The one thing I love when I have a basic recipe is to vary it slightly each time I bake!