fig and banana cake (or, necessity is the mother of invention)

First, I want to acknowledge the tragedy in Japan and say how helpless I feel. I have made a donation to the charity suggested by verypurpleperson, who lives in Tokyo. I made softies for the Queensland flood victims. I've signed up to do the same for Christchurch. There's just too much of this going on in the world. I feel awfully lucky to live where I do.

So. In my lucky part of the world, life goes on. And so does cake.

not the prettiest of cakes, so I accessorised

I invented a cake! I've made it twice now so I know the first time was not just a fluke.

We've had a bounty of figs around these parts. I won't call it a surplus because I'm yet to experience too many figs. We love 'em. We have a small tree, but after putting the word out that we're a fig-lovin' family, they've been rolling in from all directions.

Some were looking less than their best after a few days. A fig-lovin' friend at work suggested baking with them, which I hadn't considered. So now I present the improbable but delicious


Fig and Banana Cake.

Almost healthy!

1 cup wholemeal self-raising flour
1 cup fine semolina
3/4 cup soft brown sugar
2/3 cup powdered milk (this was part of the 'necessity' - we were out of fresh and I had this left over from some other baking)
1.5 tsp mixed spice or other spices of choice
2 tbsp LSA mix (ground linseed, sunflower seeds and almonds - I usually have this around, it's easily left out or substituted for other chopped nuts)

120g butter or marge, melted
2 - 3 over-ripe bananas, mashed (I put over-ripe ones in the freezer to keep for cakes)
3 eggs
5 or so ripe figs, chopped
1/2 cup water (roughly)

Mix all dry ingredients well. Combine wet ingredients and mix into dry. Add more water if needed to make a good cake batter consistency. Pour into large, greased ring tin (I use one of those flugelhorn, erm, hugenflopff, whatever, pretty ones!).

Bake at around 170 degrees Celcius for about 45 minutes, or until a skewer only just comes out clean. I do this on non-fan-forced. I find my cakes turn out better that way.

Tastes great with natural yoghurt. It hasn't lasted long enough in my house to experiment with any icing ideas. I call that a cake success.

I think the figs could be substituted with various other fruits, fresh or dried. Dried pear for some reason sounds appealing. Grated apple might work nicely, and then pump up the cinnamon content.

I'm sometimes surprised at how much fruit you can actually put into a cake. I have a banana cake that I am still pushing the limits with, to see how many bananas can go in without it turning out all wrong. I think I'm up to nine large bananas.

What's your favourite fruity cake?

- Jane x