Lea Hogg

This is the best way to use up over-ripe bananas, and the riper they are the less sugar you will need.

Baking and summer do not go together but if you have to bake in this Maltese summer heat, because you may still want a healthier type of cake, this is the answer as it is an all-in-one with no equipment required.  Another reason why I like the recipe, as the washing up is minimal.  Sugar can be replaced with stevia and apart from the ripe bananas, more sweetness comes from the dates.

For a gluten free cake, replace the self raising flour with a gluten free type and use oats and bicarbonate of soda that have been packed appropriately and not contaminated by products containing gluten

You will need:

80ml sunflower oil
50ml Plain Greek Yoghurt
100g caster sugar
100g dates, chopped into small pieces
vanilla
a pinch of nutmeg
150g self raising flour, sieved twice
50g oats
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
3 eggs
a pinch of salt
300g bananas [3 small or 2 large], mashed

a cake tin
bakng spray

Preheat the oven to 180C.
Prepare the cake tin with baking spray.
Place the mashed banana in a large bowl.
Add all the other ingredients to the bowl.
Use a wooden spoon to mix all the ingredients together. [you can use an electric processor if you wish but it is not necessary]

When the mixture appears consistent, pour the batter into the prepared cake tin.
Bake in a pre-heated oven for 55 minutes.

Test the cake with a skewer and if it comes out clean leave the cake in the cake dish to cool completely before taking out.

I use Golden Drop Vegetable Oil and Kolios Greek Yoghurt by Quality Foods Marketing, baking ingredients by Lamb Brand and fresh fruit by Big Fresh in Mosta 

Photos: Stefan Stafrace