Black banana and berries cake - gluten free and dairy free

Black Banana and Berries Cake

This recipe came about by circumstance - three black bananas in the fridge, a broken measuring scale, some mixed berries in the freezer and no butter in the fridge! What to do? The solution also used up some of the buckwheat flour that had been lying dormant for too long in the pantry.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup buckwheat flour

1 cup self-raising gluten free flour

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup light muscovado (raw) sugar

3 black (over-ripe) bananas

2 eggs lightly beaten

1/3 cup vegetable (canola) oil

1/5 cup rice milk

1/2 cup mixed berries (frozen)

Preheat the oven to 180C/fan 160C and grease and line the base of a 10 inch loose-bottomed cake tin with greaseproof paper. 

A tip to grease a cake tin easily is to use a 1/2 teaspoon of vegetable oil on the base, spreading evenly over the rest of the base and sides of the tin. Tear a square of greaseproof paper larger than the diameter of the tin. Place the paper on the greased base and press down to ensure the paper is greased. Turn the paper over and place over the base in the exact same position from before. Carefully attach the side of the tin to the base ensuring the greaseproof paper is sticking out from underneath. Et voilà the tin is prepared. 

In a large mixing bowl, sieve the flours, bicarb and cinnamon and mix with the sugar. In another bowl, mash the bananas until you have a lumpy purée. Mix in the beaten eggs, oil and milk. 

Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Stir the ingredients together. Take the frozen berries and place in a bowl. Pour over some lukewarm water and wait for the berries to come apart. Drain the water and add the berries to the mix. Gently stir in the berries and pour the mixture into the tin. 

Pop into the oven and after about 30 minutes place a piece of greaseproof paper or wrapping foil on top of the cake to stop it burning on top. After 50 minutes check to see if the cake is ready by inserting a knife in the middle and seeing if it comes out dry. Leave to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes before turning out on a wire tray. 

This cake can be kept for about three days in an airtight container.