DATE, WALNUT BANANA CAKE WITH JAGGERY AND RUM GLAZE

This cake contains no refined sugar.  Walnut flour is combined with all purpose flour to make a cake thats light and fluffy. Use packaged cream and not fresh cream to make the glaze.  You can omit rum and add rum flavouring or use a flavouring of your choice.

MAKES 1 91/2 INCH TUBE/LOAF CAKE

1 cup  (150 grams)finely chopped seedless brown dates soaked in half cup boiling water for 15 minutes then pureed

1/4 cup  (50 grams) finely chopped dates

½ c. butter or margarine OR 115 GRAMS OR 4 OZ, softened

2 eggs whisked at room temperature

1 tsp cinnamon powder

1/2 tsp nutmeg powder

3/4  tsp. Baking soda

¼ tsp. Baking powder

4 Tbsp.  strained plain whole milk yoghurt or use sour cream

1 c. mashed over ripe blackened bananas about 2 whole bananas

1 maida or all purpose flour

1/2 cup walnut flour

¼ tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Vanilla
1/2 cup toasted and skinned walnut pieces

METHOD

Grease cake pan lightly.
Preheat oven 350 C and prepare bottom rack. Cream butter or margarine and pureed dates until fluffy using. stand or hand mixer. Add vanilla, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon and whisk again. Add eggs, one at a time and beat until incorporated. Add mashed bananas and beat again.

Stir soda into sour cream or yogurt and mix well. Add to the batter and beat again.

Add walnut flour, all purpose flour, baking powder.  Mix well. Finally stir in the chopped dates and walnut pieces.

Bake in buttered 9 ½ in. loaf pan at 350 for 30-40 minutes on the bottom rung of the over  until sides of the cake pull away a little and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Top with glaze once cake has cooled.

For the glaze melt together 80 grams grated or finely crumbled extra dark coconut palm jaggery and 200 ml packaged cream (not fresh) until smooth over a low flame. Stir in 1 tsp corn flour and allow sauce to thicken a little. Then stir in 2 tbsp dark rum and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract.  Hold a strainer over the banana loaf and strain hot glaze this through a fine sieve to remove any pieces of fibres and spread it over the baked cake.