HIGH TEA CAKES

BANANA WALNUT CAKE 

• 125g butter 
• 3/4 cup castor sugar 
• 2 eggs 
• 3 very ripe, small bananas 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla 
• ½ cup chopped walnuts 
• 3/4 cup self-raising flour 
• 3/4 cup plain flour 
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda 

Mash bananas finely with a fork ( you should have a 3/4 cup of mashed banana ). Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add bananas and vanilla, and beat on low speed until well combined. Stir in walnuts, then sift flour and soda in two lots; mix well. Spread mixture into a well-greased 20cm ring tin, and bake in a moderate oven for 40 minutes or until cooked when tested. Stand for a few minutes, and turn on a wire rack to cool.

BANANA ORANGE CAKE 

• 125g butter 
• 2 teaspoons grated orange rind 
• ½ cup raw sugar 
• 2 eggs 
• 2 ripe bananas 
• ½ cup toasted coconut ( see below ) 
• 2½ cups wholemeal self-raising flour 
• ½ cup orange juice 

Beat butter, orange rind, and sugar until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; add peeled and finely mashed bananas ( you should have a 2/3 cup ), and mix well. Fold in sifted flour and toasted coconut alternately with orange juice. Spread mixture into greased loaf tin with base lined with greaseproof paper ( base measures 12cm x 22cm ). bake in a moderate oven for approximately 1 hour. Turn out to cool on a wire rack. Serve buttered if desired, or topped with Orange Icing. We used Cream Cheese Frosting flavored with orange rind. To toast coconut: Put coconut in a heavy pan, stir with a wooden spoon over medium heat until coconut is light golden brown, then remove from pan immediately; cool.

SOUR CREAM CARROT CAKE 

• 1 cup wholemeal self-raising flour 
• 1 cup white plain flour 
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda 
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon 
• 2 teaspoons nutmeg 
• 1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed 
• 1 cup oil ( See note for Zucchini Walnut Loaf ) 
• 4 eggs 
• ½ cup sour cream 
• 3 cups grated carrots ( about 4 carrots ) 

Sift flour, soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg into a large bowl. Add brown sugar and oil; mix well. Put eggs and sour cream into separate bowl; beat well. Add to flour mixture; mix until smooth. Add grated carrot, mix well Pour into two greased and lined loaf tins ( base measures 9cm x 22cm ). Bake in a moderately slow oven for approximately 45 minutes. Stand a few minutes, turn on the wire rack to cool, and top with Cream Cheese Frosting. 

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

• 60g packaged cream cheese 
• 30g butter 
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind 
• 1½ cups icing sugar

 

Mix cream cheese, butter, and lemon rind until smooth, gradually beat in sifted icing sugar.

ZUCCHINI WALNUT LOAF 

Any salad oil except peanut or olive can be used in this recipe. 

• 3 eggs 
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed 
• 1 cup oil 
• 125g walnut pieces 
• 1½ cups coarsely grated zucchini ( about 3 medium zucchini ) 
• 1½ cups wholemeal self-raising flour 
• 1/2 cups white plain flour 

Combine eggs, sugar, and oil in an electric mixer or food processor, and mix or process until the mixture is changed in color; this takes only a short time. Stir in walnuts and zucchini, then sift flours, return husks from sifter to mixture. Spread the mixture into a well-greased loaf tin ( base measures 12cm x 22cm ). Bake in a moderate oven for approximately 1 hour. Stand for a few minutes, and turn on a wire rack to cool.

PUMPKIN AND PRUNE CAKE 

Use ordinary pumpkin ( not butternut ) for this cake and do not add butter, milk, etc when mashing pumpkin. 

• 250g butter 
• 1 teaspoon grated orange rind 
• 1 cup castor sugar 
• 3 eggs 
• ¼ cup orange juice 
• 3/4 cup of cold mashed pumpkin 
• ½ cup finely chopped prunes 
• 2 cups self-raising flour 
• 1/3 cup of milk, approximately

Cream butter, orange rind, and sugar together until light and fluffy, add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in orange juice, pumpkin, and prunes, then sift flour alternately with enough milk to give a soft consistency. Spread into a greased deep 20cm round cake tin with a base lined with greaseproof paper, bake in a moderate oven for 1 to 1 1/4 hours, stand 5 minutes, and turn onto a wire rack to cool. 

Also Read: SPECIAL CAKES