Banana Cake with Chia Seeds

Method

• step 1

  Preheat the oven to 160C fan/Gas 4/180C. Oil a 20cm round cake tin with and cut baking parchment for the base. To aid with rising either sprinkle flour or sugar around the oiled sides.

• step 2

  Weigh out the sugar and butter into a mixing bowl. Whizz them together until as light and fluffy as possible with an electric mixer.

• step 3

  Add in the eggs and vanilla and whizz again.

• step 4

  Take the two peeled bananas and in a separate bowl, liquidise them into a puree before adding to the main mix. Whizz again!

• step 5

  Your mixture should be nice and fluffy now with plenty of air in it, so no more heavy whizzing! Add in the flour, baking powder and chia seeds and gently mix everything together making sure everything is well mixed, whilst trying to retain as much air as possible.

• step 6

  Pour into the cake tin and level out the mixture. Bake in the oven for about 30mins before checking. Poke a knife into the centre and check if it comes out clean. If not, keep checking every 5 or 10 mins until it does.

• step 7

  While the cake is cooling, make the drizzle. It's not essential, but it will make it extra moist and the lemon adds a nice freshness. Put the sugar into a small bowl and add lemon juice and mix. Add a little hot water to help the sugar to melt. The consistency should be a little like single cream.

• step 8

  While still in the tin, stab the cake all over with a fork and then pour the drizzle evenly all over.

• step 9

  Leave to cool as long as you can bear to wait before eating.