Banana Walnut Cake with Tahini Frosting

Cook Time 1 hour

Servings makes 1 23-cm square tin

Ingredients

Banana Cake

200g raw caster sugar

150g unsalted butter, soft and squidgy

150g egg (from approx. 3 eggs)

270g banana flesh (from approx. 3 medium very ripe bananas)

70g/ml full-fat yoghurt

240g soft plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp ground cardamom

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp fine sea salt

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

¼ tsp ground ginger powder

75g raw walnut, halves

Tahini White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

200g full-fat cream cheese, soft

60g unsalted butter, soft

150g white chocolate, melted and warm

50g tahini (or more if you are an enthusiastic sesame lover)

5g vanilla paste

Method

Heat the oven to 140°C. Lightly spray and line the base and sides of a 23 cm square, 5 cm deep tin, with cooking oil spray and baking paper.

Beat the sugar and butter for 8 minutes at medium speed until the mix is paler and a little airy. It won’t get noticeably fluffy until the eggs are added. Stop and scrape the bowl side often. While you beat butter and sugar, mash the peeled banana and yoghurt into a wide mixing bowl.

Weigh the flour, baking powder, bicarb soda, spices and salt. Chop the walnuts coarsely and set aside.

Still, on medium speed, add the egg in two additions until the base re-fluffs after each addition.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and scrape the butter mix into the banana/yoghurt bowl. Combine well with a stiff plastic spatula. Sift over the flour/spice mix and fold in.

Scrape the batter into the lined tin and sprinkle the chopped walnuts evenly over the top. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the cake has risen proudly and cracked a little (this will settle to flat. A skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean (internal temperature is 95°C).

Allow to cool completely before icing and while it cools, beat the frosting ingredients, except the tahini together for 10 minutes on low speed until fluffy. Add the tahini at the end – adjusting for your sesame strength preference. Smooth over the cake top, hiding all the walnuts. Use a cake comb to swirl a nice pattern on top. Cut large squares and know that the corners, slightly dipped, will hold the most frosting.