Banana Choc Chip and Pecan Cake

Banana Choc Chip and Pecan Cake

Good Morning Beach Dwellers

So we are well and truly back into our daily routine after the big trip (sadly nothing lasts forever) and I am back in the kitchen, producing all the meals that a mum must, on a weekly basis.  Ho Hum.

We are also back on the beaches for a daily swim in this hot weather and doing all the usual kiddy events, like Halloween.  We decided to hand out strawberries this year instead of lollies and apart from a few turned up noses, the kids seemed to like them as a little roadie snack, on their trick or treating journey.

I was happy to be home from Europe for about a week and now I am ready to go off to yet another exotic destination.  Sadly there is the small matter of my bank balance holding me back.  But those of you who have been coming here for some time know, I am nothing if not a schemer and a dreamer, so watch this space.  My attempts at becoming a regular world traveller may be down, but they are not out.

I mean you can't take it with you can you?

Now to matters much more mundane, but never the less current in many households during the warmer months. 

Not sure about you, but I am always looking for new and interesting ways to use up over ripe bananas.  My kids will not go near them, if they are ripe and I cannot bear waste, so I often find myself adding them to cakes.

This lovely recipe was given to me by my lovely friend Suzie, one of natures' true ladies.  Suzie is also an avid reader of this blog.  I asked her for this recipe many moons ago, when she turned up with a plate of this cake at the yacht club and I have had the recipe sitting around waiting to try for many months.  Like most recipes, I have changed it a bit, but the basics are the same.  The cake turned out to be very nice indeed.  The kids in particular loved it.  Using the chocolate melts, meant you got a love hit of oozy chocolate with every bite.  Yummo

Not good for the 5 kg I need to lose after taking no care with my weight in France, but anyway.  

Banana Choc Chip and Pecan Cake

3 ripe bananas mashed 

3/4 cup caster sugar

1.5 cups self raising flour

2 eggs lightly beaten

4 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup dark chocolate melts roughly chopped

3/4 cup pecan nuts roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 180C or 350F.

Grease a loaf tin and line with baking paper.

Mixed the mashed banana and sugar together until just combined.  Add the sifted flour, eggs, oil and milk.  Stir the mixture gently until combined.  Then gently fold in the chocolate and nuts.

Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 55 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean, from the centre of the cake.

Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, before turning out onto a wire rack.

For more delicious and easy baking ideas go here.

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