Cuppa-cakes
Afternoon Tea Week may be nearing its close but it’s not too late to celebrate with a great bake and a good cuppa
INGREDIENTS (serves 10 –bakes in 60 minutes)
225g self raising flour; ¼ tsp salt; 100g Trex, chilled; 100g light muscovado sugar; 2 large eggs, beaten; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 3 medium-sized ripe bananas, mashed; 50g ready to eat dried apricots, chopped; 1-2 tbsp milk For the frosting: 50g butter, room temperature; 50g icing sugar; 100g cream cheese; 3-4 ready to eat dried apricots, chopped; a little lemon zest, finely grated
METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan oven 160°C/ Gas Mark 4. Grease and line the base of a 20cm (8in) cake tin.
2. Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the Trex and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar.
3. Beat the eggs and vanilla extract together. Add them to the mixture with the mashed bananas and apricots. Combine well. The mixture should have a soft, dropping consistency, when you lift up a generous spoonful from the bowl, it will drop off in a moment or two. If too stiff, stir in 1-2 tbsp of milk.
4. Transfer the mixture to the tin and level. Bake for 55 minutes to an hour. To test it’s cooked, insert a skewer into the centre. If it doesn’t come out clean, bake for a little longer.
5. Stand the cooked cake on a rack and cool completely in the tin. When cool, remove the lining paper. 6. For the icing: Beat together the butter, icing sugar and lemon zest. Add the cream cheese and mix it in thoroughly. Spread over the top and decorate with banana chips and chopped apricots.