Another recipe from what seems to be my most used baking book – Easy cakes and cookies.
225g self-raising flour
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
100g butter, softened and cubed
175g granulated sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 passion fruit
3 very ripe bananas
To decorate
100g icing sugar
1 passion fruit
dried banana slices, to decorate (optional)
a 19 x 9cm loaf tin, buttered and base-lined with baking parchment
Sift the flour and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl. Put the butter and sugar in an electric mixer (or use a large mixing bowl and electric whisk) and beat until pale and fluffy. Add the beaten eggs and sifted flour mixture alternately to the bowl.
Halve the passion fruit and scoop out the pulp into a sieve/strainer over a bowl. Using a teaspoon, press and stir the pulp to extract the juice. Discard the leftover seeds. Peel and mash the bananas. Add the passion fruit pulp and mashed banana to the cake mixture and mix again.
Tip the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and spread it evenly with a spatula. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 55 minutes, or until golden and risen. Leave to cool in the tin. I went around the edges with a knife to loosen the cake from the tin before leaving it to cool.
To decorate, sift the icing sugar into a small bowl. Halve the passion fruit and scoop out the pulp into the bowl – no need to sieve/strain this time. Mix together with a teaspoon. If the glaze seems a little thick add a drop or two of cold water – the consistency of the glaze will depend on the size of the passion fruit and how ripe it is. You want the glaze to be a thick spreadable consistency.
Tip the cold loaf out of the tin and peel off the base paper. Spoon the glaze over the top of the loaf and decorate with dried banana slices. Leave to set for about 30 minutes before slicing.
