Caramel Banana Cake

Caramel Banana Cake. Can anything sound more edible? Not in my baking heaven! This is from AWW’s ‘Cakes & Slices’ – the original edition of course. I’m baking from my Grandma's book, in her kitchen.

There’s something special about vintage cookbooks. Everything in them is something special, even though its really just an everyday delight. I think its part nostalgia, part love for the unadulterated pleasure of a simple cake like this one. Nothing fancy, and definitely nothing pretentious!

• 125g butter, softened
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3 over-ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 ½ cups self raising flour
• 1 tsp. bicarb soda
• ¾ cup sour cream
• 1 tbsp. milk

Line a 14 x 21cm loaf tin. Preheat oven to 180C (fan-forced, go a little hotter in a conventional).

Cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Remove bowl from mixer, and gently mix in banana. Sift in flour and bicarb. Add sour cream and milk, mixing til smooth.

Pour into tin and bake for 1 hour. Stand 5 minutes in tin before turning onto a wire rack. Cool completely before serving.

The original recipe includes a caramel icing, which I didn’t make for lack of icing sugar. Its fine without as it is quite rich, but for those icing-inclined bakers here’s the recipe:

• 60g butter
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp. sour cream
• 1 ½ cups icing sugar

Melt butter and brown sugar over low-medium heat for 2 minutes. Stir constantly and don’t let it boil. Add sour cream, then bring to boil. Remove from heat and stir in icing sugar. Spread onto cooled cake.

I’ll just mention, that as I type this the whole house smells of stewing peaches. It is most divine.