Jane’s Banana Loaf Cake with Dates & Walnuts
Jane’s Banana loaf Cake with Dates and Walnuts, good fuel for Marathon training apparently.
Delicious, moist and reasonably healthy and perfect for using up those bananas ‘on the turn’ in the fruit bowl
(You know the ones that no-one touches!)
However even if there is no sign of marathon training (ha ha) it can also be immensely enjoyable with your feet up, a good book and a cuppa 🙂
(I wasn’t built to run, walk yes, run noooooo!) but I still eat this Banana Date and Walnut Loaf!
Date & Walnut Loaf – Traditionally
Date and walnut loaf (without the Bananas) is a traditional bread eaten in Britain and is made using dates and walnuts.
It is quite often made with treacle or tea to give it a dark brown colour.
Apparently traditionally from Scotland, date and walnut loaf is still enjoyed in many tea rooms around the country.
So my recipe – Is it a Banana Date and walnut cake? Well maybe I guess it’s that too.
But when I think of a ‘cake’ I always expect it to come with icing and I guess I think it’ll be round?
But I love a loaf cake
Banana Loaf with Dates and Walnuts
This lovely recipe doesn’t need icing at all and it has added bananas!
It’s perfect just the way it is
Banana Loaf with Dates and Walnuts
This loaf cake recipe is perfect for using up those brown over ripened fruit bowl bananas! You know the ones I mean, those that lurk brownish in the bowl and are avoided by all!
I also found out something really interesting!
Did you know that bananas are the UK’s no 1 fruit?
Well they are and they have lots of health benefits!
The BBC website has a great article maybe give it a read?!
The kids and the adults seem to love this Banana Date and Walnut Cake too, now that’s a result.
So why not make a loaf and stick it in the cake tin, wonderful!
So thanks Jane – what a super cake!
You can leave the walnuts out if you prefer?
Oh and maybe whack a half banana on the top before you bake and be all fancy? It does look super cute too
I’m thinking of sharing a banana bread recipe too.
I guess this is more banana cake – but it’s oh so very good!
Also super super easy and I’d say fail-safe
If you like the sound off this loaf cake I think you’d also love my Traditional Malt Loaf – its so easy and tastes amazing!
Loaf Liners for your Banana Loaf Cakes?
Also before I forget, have you discovered loaf liners yet?
Oh they are fantastic, you can say ‘bye’ to trying to line a loaf tin!
I love them, so easy and you can find them in most supermarkets and they are not expensive either, amazing!
Can you freeze Banana Loaf Cake?
Yes you can 🙂
Simply wrap well in greaseproof paper with a layer of foil and freeze
Should keep perfectly fine for up to 3 months
Defrost at room temp and slice and enjoy
Your Banana Loaf Cake should keep perfectly moist in a sealed cake tin for about 3 days! If it lasts that long…
Kitchen Kit
You lovely peeps have started to ask me about kitchen kit.
Well you need to know I use the KitchenAid stand mixer!
It’s quite an investment HOWEVER I love it and I know I will have it for life. I see it as my essential piece of kit.
I also have lots of the attachments which I can talk about soon in another post Especially the pasta attachment!
Personally I believe this is the best stand mixer on the planet – but that’s just my view!
Anyway please have a go at Jane’s Banana, Date and Walnut Loaf and let me know how you get on, please leave me a comment below, I love your comments
Another Banana Bake – Banana Muffins – so easy
These little babies are super simple to make & bake that even the kids can do them
Studded with chocolate chips my Easy Banana Muffins are a hit
Other tasty morsels
If you like this recipe I think you might like these Blueberry and Lemon Muffins too – Just saying! 🙂 See how good they look!
Another Loaf Cake
or how about this lovely Easy Ginger Loaf, with an amazingly zingy lemon icing
Many Thanks Clare
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Banana Loaf Cake with Dates & Walnuts
Ingredients
- 225 g self raising flour
- 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 75 g butter
- 1 egg
- 150 g caster sugar
- 2 ripe bananas about 350g
- 50 g walnut halves or pieces
- 50 g of pitted dates
Instructions
- Heat oven to 190C / Gas5
- Grease and line a loaf tin (1 lb about 9 inch x 5inch ). Use a loaf liner EPLS
- Sieve flour, bicarbonate and salt into large bowl
- Rub in the butter then stir in sugar and egg, It will be a bit dry and look like a crumble mix
- Mash bananas. Beat into cake mix and add nuts and dates Spoon into prepared tin
- Bake for 20 mins at 190C /Gas5 then turn down oven to 180C/Gas4 and bake for another 20 mins or until a skewer stuck into the middle comes out clean
- Removed from the oven and leave to cool in tin for at least 20 minutes
- If you want to decorate it just melt a spoon of apricot conserve, jam or glaze in the microwave.
- Brush on and decorate with banana chips or walnuts
Alison
This looks and sounds lovely. I love dates and adding them is inspired
Bill
This cake looked so good i had a go at making it. Loved the result so much that that i switched it up a wee bit by adding seedless raisins soaked in hot fresh orange juice then drained when fat and juicy, replaced the caster sugar with Demerara sugar, added a teaspoon of ground ginger along with a teaspoon of cinnamon and topped of the wet mix with 35ml of Buillet bourbon. The cake takes a wee bit longer to cook as the ingredients are a bit wetter than the original. The cake however delivers the ultimate foodgasm when you top a cold slice with real butter and home made blackcurrant jam !
Clare x
Sounds amazing – thanks for the comments Cx
Fatcow79
This is the yummiest banana loaf I’ve eaten in a while 🙂
I tweeted it a tad & used half brown & half castor sugar , & added a tsp of brandy essence to the mix.
And yes always good with a slathering of butter…straight out of the oven…the best.
Thanks for such a great recipe. I’ll be using this again & again for sure ??
Maggie Smith
This recipe was very easy to follow ,I used date nectar instead of sugar and added ginger as another flavour .Moist consistency and tasted surprisingly good .
David
Saw your recipe and as we love anything with date and walnuts, I decided to try it. Great result
first time, and that was using Bertolli instead of butter and reducing castor sugar slightly. May add
a little nutmeg or cinnamon next time.
Clare x
Sounds great David – thanks for your comment Cx
Helen Struminskyj
Hi loved this cake, very easy to do, and I am not a baker. First cake in years. Just had lots of left over bananas dates and walnuts from Christmas. Only comment I would make would be to reduce the sugar a bit as its very sweet.
Sheila Swaine
Fabulous cake,I am making it now for about the 10th time.a great way to use up ripe bananas that no one want to eat
Clare x
Oh so great to hear! Thanks for your message x
Anonymous
Delicious, even my fussy daughter loved it – it smelled so good in the oven she couldn’t resist trying a slice. I added a maple glaze