Steamed black cake with roasted banana and olive oil ice cream

SERVES 8

‘I’ve always loved warm desserts with ice cream. Every bite is different as the ice cream begins to melt into a sauce and you get layers of texture. My girlfriend has family in England and lived there when she was young, so she has nostalgia for sticky toffee pudding. We combine the two memories with a twist of banana and olive oil ice cream.’

ROASTED BANANA AND OLIVE OIL ICE CREAM

• 3 bananas, unpeeled, skins pierced at intervals with a skewer

• 750 ml pouring cream

• 250ml double-thick cream

• 200 ml milk

• 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped out

• 250g white sugar

• 2.5 ml salt

• 8 egg yolks

• 250 ml extra-virgin olive oil

CAKE

• 300g cake wheat flour

• 10 g baking powder

• 100 g raisins

• 100g currants

• 100 g pitted prunes, chopped coarsely

• 100 g walnuts, roasted and chopped coarsely

• 5 ml ground mace or a grating of nutmeg

• 5 ml ground cinnamon

• 5 ml finely grated nutmeg

• finely grated rind of 2 oranges

• 2.5 ml salt

• 250ml milk

• 250 g molasses

• 200g butter, melted, plus extra for greasing

• 60ml brandy

• 1 egg

• scraped seeds of ½ a vanilla bean

• ground cinnamon, for dusting

1. MAKE THE ICE CREAM: Preheat the oven to 190ºC.

2. Place bananas on an oven tray lined with baking paper and roast until skins blacken and begin to seep juice from the piercings (20–25 minutes), then peel.

3. Bring creams, milk, vanilla bean and seeds, half the sugar and the salt to a simmer in a saucepan. Pulse yolks and remaining sugar in a blender to combine, then add banana. Remove vanilla bean from cream mixture and, with the motor running, pour into the blender and process for 3 minutes. With the motor still running, slowly add olive oil and blend until well emulsified (5–6 minutes); stop the blender at intervals if it gets hot, wait for it to cool, then resume blending. Transfer to a bowl placed over ice and leave to cool, stirring occasionally (20– 30 minutes).

4. Churn in an ice-cream machine, then freeze until required. Makes about 2 ℓ ice cream.

5. MAKE THE CAKE: Preheat the oven to 170°C. Butter a 23 cm castiron pan.

6. Combine flour, baking powder, dried fruit, walnuts, spices, rind and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre.

7. Whisk milk, molasses, butter, brandy, egg and vanilla seeds in a separate bowl to combine, then add to well and mix until combined but slightly lumpy.

8. Pour into the pan, cover with cling wrap (don’t worry, it won’t melt), then a layer of foil, and bake 50 minutes to 1 hour, until a skewer inserted withdraws clean. Dust lightly with cinnamon and serve warm with ice cream.