banana sesame cake
If you don’t have time to prepare the cashew cream icing, this moist cake is still absolutely delicious without it. Nigella seeds or black sesame seeds make a gorgeous topping to this cake, but if you can’t source them, toasted white sesame seeds are lovely too.
Ingredients
250g cashews (raw or roasted)
Banana Cake
2 oranges (approx. 350 g – see Tips)
100g sesame seeds, toasted
80g (1/2 cup) brown sugar or Rapadura sugar (see Tips)
110g (1/2 cup) macadamia oil
280g banana (peeled weight – approx. 3 bananas), cut into pieces
100g pitted Medjool dates
3 eggs
150g (1 cup) self-raising flour
50g (1/3 cup) plain flour
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
¼ tsp ground cardamom
2 tsp natural vanilla extract
Cashew cream icing (optional)
2 tbsp lemon juice
80g (1/3 cup) coconut cream
1 tbsp tahini (optional – see Tips)
1 tsp natural vanilla extract
2–3 tbsp raw honey, to taste (for vegan, use coconut nectar)
nigella seeds (optional), for sprinkling
1 banana, cut into slices, for decorating
1-2 tbsp coconut nectar or honey, plus extra to drizzle
Method
1. Place cashews (for the icing) into a bowl and cover with hot water. Soak for 4-6 hours until softened (longer soaking will help produce a smoother icing). Meanwhile, continue preparing cake.
2. Preheat oven to 140°C fan. Grease and line a round cake tin (20 cm) with baking paper and set aside.
3. Using a vegetable peeler, remove zest from oranges (no white pith). Reserve orange flesh and set aside. Place 5–6 pieces zest, sesame seeds and sugar into a food processor or high-powered blender and process until finely ground. Add macadamia oil, orange, banana, dates and eggs, and process until just combined. Add flours, bicarbonate of soda and vanilla, and process until just smooth. If needed, scrape sides and process again until all ingredients are well combined.
4. Pour mixture into tin, smooth surface. Bake for 1 hour and 10-15 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Leave cake in tin to cool completely.
5. To make cashew cream icing, drain soaked cashews well. Place in a food processor or high-powered blender. Using the pulse action, process until finely chopped. Add remaining ingredients and process in 30 second spurts for 3-5 minutes or until icing is smooth, pausing to scrape down sides of bowl with a spatula if needed. (Note: the texture will vary according to the type of processor you use.)
6. Spread cooled cake with cashew cream icing. Drizzle with coconut nectar/ honey. Scatter over seeds and banana slices.
THERMOMIX METHOD
1. Place cashews (for the icing) into a bowl and cover with hot water and set aside to soak for 4–6 hours, until softened (see Tips). Proceed with recipe while nuts are soaking.
2. Preheat oven to 140°C fan. Grease and line a round cake tin (20 cm) with baking paper and set aside.
3. Using a vegetable peeler, remove zest from oranges (no white pith). Reserve orange flesh and set aside. Place 5–6 pieces zest, sesame seeds and sugar into mixing bowl and mill 10 sec/speed 9, until finely ground.
4. Add oil, orange flesh, banana, dates and eggs and mix 6 sec/speed 6, until just combined.
5. Add flours, bicarbonate of soda, cardamom and vanilla and mix 6 sec/speed 6 or until smooth and just combined. Transfer into prepared cake tin and smooth top. Bake for 80 minutes (140°C) or until a wooden skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Allow cake to cool completely in tin. Clean and dry mixing bowl.
6. To make icing, drain soaked cashews well. Place into mixing bowl and chop 1 min/speed 5, until finely chopped.
7. Add lemon juice, coconut cream, tahini (optional), vanilla and honey and blend 3 min/speed 1.
8. Scrape down sides of mixing bowl with spatula, then blend 2 min/speed 1, until smooth.
9. Transfer cooled cake onto a serving plate and spread with icing. Drizzle with extra honey, sprinkle with nigella seeds (optional) and decorate with banana slices before serving.
Tips
- Use your preferred brown sugar in this cake, either regular brown sugar or a less refined option such as rapadura sugar (panela) or coconut sugar.
- I recommend using organic oranges if possible, to avoid any pesticides that may be on the peel.
- The longer you allow your cashews to soak, the smoother the Cashew cream icing will be.
- Tahini adds depth of flavour to the Cashew cream icing, but if you don’t have it on hand don’t worry, it’s still lovely without it.
- Honey is not suitable for children under 1 year of age.
- You can replace the honey with coconut nectar in this recipe.
