Banana Cake with Pecan Crumble Crunch

• golden fine sugar↗250g g
• self‑raising flour250g g
• pecans↗140g g

  coarsely chopped

• butter↗1 ст. л. tbsp
• eggs↗2

  plus 2 egg whites

• large ripe bananas↗3

  or 4 small, mashed

• sunflower oil↗150ml ml
• milk↗100ml ml
• ground cinnamon↗1 ч. л. tsp
• baking powder↗1 ч. л. tsp

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 180 °C (convection 160 °C, gas mark 4) and line the bottom and sides of a 20 cm (8‑inch) deep cake tin with parchment paper.

2. 2

   For the crumble, combine 2 tbsp sugar, flour and chopped pecans, then add cold butter cut into pieces and rub together until you have sticky crumbs. Set aside.

3. 3

   Beat 2 eggs with a fork, add the mashed banana, sunflower oil and milk, and mix until the mixture is smooth.

4. 4

   In a large bowl combine the remaining sugar, self‑raising flour, chopped pecans, ground cinnamon and baking powder. Stir quickly.

5. 5

   Whisk the egg whites until they form soft, stiff peaks.

6. 6

   Fold the banana mixture into the dry ingredients and stir quickly to avoid lumps.

7. 7

   Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the batter using a large metal spoon or spatula, then carefully transfer the batter into the prepared tin.

8. 8

   Sprinkle the crumble over the top, smooth the surface and bake for 1 hour until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

9. 9

   15 minutes before the end, check the colour: if the top is browning too quickly, cover it with a sheet of parchment paper.

10. 10

    When the cake is done, let it rest in the tin for another 5 minutes, then remove and let cool on a wire rack.