One banana colada, please

Eat the Coca, Cocabanana...

This will be my last post for a while. I will be travelling for a bit and will be home on the 18th. My trip will take me to a fascinating country with lots of good food and I'm sure I'll be yammering on about it when I get back, probably in several posts, so I'll spare you all my gushing about it now.

In the meantime, there were a few things in the fridge to use up and everything seemed to point to some kind of confection ­­– overripe bananas, sour cream, fresh young coconut and a couple tablespoons of poppy seed filling. 

Fresh young coconut in the shell, known as 'kelapa botak', Malay for bald coconut - for obvious reasons

Scooping out the tender flesh

I bought the fresh coconut to enjoy in this hot weather but I thought slivers of the young flesh might go well with the cake ­­– and it did. However, when I took the cake to work yesterday, Blessed Glutz sniffed at the open container and said the coconut might be getting a little funky, so I scraped it off the top and discarded it. (Later. she changed her mind and I was left with an unadorned bald cake. I'll get her back...) 

The cake was baked in a 30 x 10.5cm fluted loaf pan (I know there's a name for this sort of pan and the cake made in it, but for the life of me I can't remember it. Anyone?) It is non-stick but I still greased it really well with oil using a pastry brush to get into all those crevices. The quantity of batter, however, is sufficient for a 900g loaf pan, 17cm fluted ring/Bundt pan or a dozen ½-cup capacity muffin moulds.

Use a fluted pan for a cake with a pretty top

In the recipe, I've replaced nuts for the poppy seed filling which I used because how many people have that sitting around in their fridge? The sour cream adds a delicious tanginess and though I wanted to add some coconut water as well as bits of coconut flesh, I thought the batter might become too wet and come out with the texture of a muffin rather than a sponge cake.

Tell me what you think. For now, toodleloo!

COPABANANA CAKE WITH FRESH COCONUT SYRUP
Serves 12
 

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
6-8 tablespoons caster sugar (depending on sweetness of banana)
6 tablespoons butter, softened
4 tablespoons sour cream
1 cup mashed bananas (about 3 medium bananas)

½ teaspoon vanilla or coconut extract
½ cup chopped toasted nuts

• Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and line a 23 x 13 x 8cm loaf pan.
• Sift flour, baking powder and salt together.
• Using an electric mixer or wooden spoon, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in sour cream until combined.
• With a large metal spoon, fold in flour until combined. Stir in mashed bananas, extract and nuts.
• Spoon into prepared pan, smooth the top and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool on a metal rack for 5 minutes, then remove from pan and allow to cool completely. Can be frozen for up to a month (wrap in double layer of cling film and place in a freezer bag).

Coconut Syrup
1 cup coconut water
½ cup caster sugar
Young coconut flesh, cut into slivers

• Place coconut water and sugar in a small pan over low heat. Swirl the pan occasionally until sugar dissolves, then turn up the heat to medium and allow mixture to thicken until syrupy. Take off heat and stir in fresh coconut slivers. Cool, then use to garnish top of cake.

PRINTABLE RECIPE