Banana, buckwheat & cinnamon cake

MAKES 1 X 22CM LOAF

60g hazelnuts coarsely chopped unsalted butter for the tin 2 medium eggs 170g golden caster sugar 80ml groundnut or sunflower oil 80ml buttermilk 3 small ripe bananas peeled and coarsely mashed 170g buckwheat flour 1 rounded tsp bicarbonate of soda 1 rounded tsp ground cinnamon 100g apricot jam 1 tsp lemon juice 30g chewy banana chips separated icing sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Spread the nuts over the base of a roasting dish and toast for 8-11 minutes until a pale gold, then leave to cool. Butter a loaf tin about 22cm long, 1.2 litre capacity (or equivalent) and line the base with baking paper.

Whisk the eggs and sugar in a large bowl until well blended. Stir in the oil and the buttermilk, then add the bananas. Stir in the flour, then sift over and mix in the bicarbonate and the cinnamon, and then fold in the nuts. Transfer the mixture to the prepared tin.

Bake for about 60 minutes until golden and risen, and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Run a knife around the edge of the cake and leave to stand for 10 minutes, then turn out on to a wire rack to cool, placing it the right way up.

Transfer to a serving plate. Gently warm the jam with the lemon juice in a small saucepan until it liquefies, then press it through a sieve into a medium bowl and stir in the banana chips. Dust the loaf with icing sugar and decorate the top with the sticky banana chips. Set aside for a couple of hours. This keeps well for several days loosely covered with clingfilm.