Tuesday, December 2, 2008

...like a fish needs a bicycle.

I've come to the conclusion - after many tantrums, tears and late night phone calls to my ever-patient friends - that I just don't have the ego to be friends with the Ex-Love.  

It always ends badly and last night I cracked it, was nasty via Facebook (how pathetic is that?!) and went to bed feeling really sad.  I woke up still feeling sad but by tonight I've decided enough is enough.  I'm admitting it - I don't have the patience, the angelic good will or the tough skin to say 'okay, so I offered you everything and you didn't want it... but that's cool - let's hang out!'.

What I do have, however, is two overripe bananas that need baking up.  Now there's something I can use...

Banana Cake from Belinda Jeffery's Mix & Bake

1 1/2 cups plain flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon bi-carb of soda
2 - 3 very ripe bananas 
1 2/3 cups raw castor sugar
2 eggs
125g unsalted butter, softened and cut into small pieces
100ml buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 180C.  Butter and line a deep, round tin.

Put the flour, baking powder, salt and bi-carb soda into a food processor and whiz together for about 15 seconds, then transfer to bowl.

Mash bananas and put in (now empty) food processor and then add sugar and eggs and whiz for 1 minute. Add the butter and whiz again for another minute or until mixture is thick and creamy.  

Add buttermilk and vanilla and pulse to just mix.  Add the flour mixture and whiz again in quick bursts, scraping down the sides and mixing in until it is just combined (don't overmix or cake will be rubbery).  Scoop into prepared tin.

Bake for 30 - 35 mins until skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean (it won't rise much as is quite dense).