Mini Banana Cakes

The other day, my friend Sally asked me to bake some cakes for her cake sale at a local church. Of course I obliged. She was quite persuasive as she got loads of cakes, biscuits and cookies to sell for her pop up stall. One creation I liked were mini banana cakes by her Italian friend. They were topped with lovely caramel. We were busy so I couldn't ask her for the recipe of these small delights. 

So today, I saw the sorry look of my bananas in the fruit bowl and thought I give it a try - so here is my version of mini banana cakes, just that I iced them with simple white icing rather than making a caramel (call me lazy if you like). These little cakes are perfect for an afternoon tea (it's so in at the moment - check out The Pastry Fork for private tea parties) or for in between when you fancy something sweet. They are easy to make and last about 3 days (since we are using fresh banana, they won't last very long). The ginger gives the cakes a bit of a lift and warmth, perfect for the time of year. You will need a mini bundt tin/mold for these cakes. If you don't have one, you can use normal muffin tins (you should get 12 out of the mix).

Makes about 16 mini cakes

Mini Banana Cakes

• 300g plain flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 115g soft light brown sugar
• 60g butter
• 2 tbsp honey
• 125ml milk
• 2 eggs
• 2 medium bananas, mashed

• oil/butter for greasing the cake tins

• 150g icing sugar
• warm water

Pre-heat the oven to 180C and brush the tin with melted butter or vegetable oil. 

Sieve the flour with the baking powder, brown sugar and ground ginger into a bowl. In a pan melt the butter and honey. Measure the milk into a jug and mix with the eggs. Combine everything with a wooden spoon, adding the mashed bananas, making sure that all flour is combined but not overworked.

Spoon the mixture in the prepared tin, not overfilling the cavities (just below the rim). Bake for about 20 mins (check with a needle, if it comes out clean it is done, otherwise return to oven for a further few minutes). 

Cool on a wired rack until cool. In the meantime, put the icing sugar into a bowl and add enough warm water to make the icing smooth and pourable (careful here as too much water will result in a skinny icing, so add little by little). Spoon over the cooled cakes and enjoy x