Banana‑date cake with walnuts and honey glaze

• soft butter↗175g g

  plus extra for the pan

• flour with leavening agent200g g
• ground cinnamon↗1 ч. л. tsp
• light muscovado sugar↗100g g
• large eggs↗2

  beaten

• clear honey↗3 ст. л. tbsp
• overripe bananas2

  (about 350 g together with skin)

• pitted dates↗100g g
• chopped walnuts50g g
• clear honey↗2 ст. л. tbsp
• butter↗25g g
• walnut halves↗50g g

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 160 °C (140 °C with convection) or set gas mark 3. Grease the pan with butter and line it with parchment paper. In a large bowl combine flour, ground cinnamon, softened butter, sugar, eggs and clear honey. Beat with a wooden spoon or hand mixer until the batter is light and fluffy.

2. 2

   Mash the bananas with a fork, chop the dates. Add them to the batter together with the chopped walnuts and mix. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top and bake for 40‑50 minutes until the surface is springy and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out dry (for a round pan you may need an additional 10‑20 minutes). Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn out and let cool on a rack.

3. 3

   For the glaze, melt honey and butter in a small saucepan, bring to a boil while stirring constantly until the butter melts. Boil for 1 minute until the mixture thickens slightly. Remove from heat, add the chopped walnuts and stir. Let the glaze cool until it thickens and becomes matte. Drizzle the cake with the glaze and let it set.

4. 4

   Serve the cake warm or at room temperature, garnished if desired with extra nuts or a drizzle of honey.