Dare I say 'Healthy' Banana and Walnut Cake?

Dare I say healthy? I should probably say this quick recipe is for a much healthier version of a traditional cake - it uses sunflower oil in place of butter so has less saturated fat, contains approximately one third less sugar than most similar cakes and is packed with the all goodness of bananas. However, it does still contain white flour so it's not the best thing to eat while on a low carb diet and the oil will add calories but overall I do feel a lot less guilty when tucking in to a large slice of this yummy cake! 

 It's also a tasty way of using up those bananas that have been sitting in the fruit bowl a bit too long and are way past their best but that you don't have the heart to throw out! And it's really easy to make - what could be better?

A less guilty slice of Banana and Walnut Cake

Notes: Other nuts or dried fruit (or a bit of both) can be used in place of walnuts. I use sunflower oil and haven't tried using any other type of oil but I guess any mild-flavoured oil could be used in it's place. The original recipe called for light muscovado sugar but I use caster sugar which works well. Finally, I use semi-skimmed milk in the recipe but if you want to cut down on fat even further skimmed could be used. 

Ingredients:

2 large ripe bananas

250g self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

4 tbsp caster sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

6 tbsp sunflower oil

6 tbsp semi-skimmed milk

2 eggs

100g chopped walnuts

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C / Gas Mark 4. Brush a loaf tin with a little oil - I use one 12cm x 24cm.

2. Peel the bananas and mash with a fork.

3. Sift the flour, baking powder and cinnamon into a bowl and stir in the sugar.

4. Whisk together the oil, milk, eggs and add to the flour mixture. Add the mashed banana and chopped walnuts then add the mixture to the prepared tin.

5. Bake for 45 minutes or until the cake is well risen and golden and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

6. Leave it to cool for 15 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cook completely.

7. Slice and enjoy!

If you do happen to have any left over just wrap it tightly in cling film to keep it fresh and eat within 2 days for best results.

This quantity fits well into a loaf tin 12cm x 24cm

The cake should be well risen and golden after approx 45 mins

The original recipe that inspired me is:

Banana and sultana cake