First name / there

I started this week with a few things on my to do list, which is a good sign; it means my brain is finally getting it together and even better I’m feeling creative. 

The weekend was rather dismal, with rain on Saturday that never wanted to stop, but I was itching for something to do.  On days like this I usually tackle an overflowing ironing pile, or a cupboard that must be shut whilst you simultaneously remove your arm, but since we now have all of my daughter’s belongings, it is difficult to organise anything really, until they finally find their new home. 

Instead, I decided to paint the kitchen.  It’s much needed, we have been waiting for months and months to get started on a serious overhaul on much of the house’s interior, but Covid has put a stop to it all. I know it’s only temporary but I do have half a tin or paint perfect for the kitchen, so I spent an hour or two sorting out one of the walls.  It looks so much better, clean and bright and makes the rest of the kitchen look shockingly bad!

It’s a silver lining of lock down, I’m grateful for a project and I have time to do it.  So much of my adult life has been rushing around, I feel like I’m of the few people who still rather enjoys lockdown.

On Monday I was able to see the Banshee, it’s been weeks apart from a couple of hellos from the doorstep, but I was needed for childcare duties.  I spent a good hour playing shops, and thinking ah what a delight it is to have a little one in the house.  We put the food supplies back on the shop’s shelf and I went off to make a cup of coffee.  ‘Nanny come quick,’ a look of panic on her face.  ‘Great’ I’m thinking ‘not heard any crashes, only been less than two minutes’.

‘Show me poppet.’

‘It’s upstairs Nana, down the toilet.’

For the love of…

As we get to the bathroom my youngest is brushing her teeth, oblivious!

‘Look Nana’ her hand reaches to her mouth ‘Look!!!’

Princess Elsa is looking up at me, thankfully it’s only a couple of hairclips with her face and not the entire doll.

‘How did they get there.’

The banshee speaks very well, she is a storyteller already, ‘As I opened the box, they flew out and…’

‘Landed in the toilet’ I end the story for her.

‘Get them out.’

‘Me?’

‘Nan get Elsa out now.’

‘You want me to put my hand down the toilet?’

YES!

‘Don’t you want to get them out Arla?  Noooo, not my hand, down the toilet!’ The outrage and bewilderment.

Hairclip retrieved and sanitised, my day improved, as my son had made lunch for me.

My Banshee had already announced she was having tuna sandwiches later, but she sat next to me, with a face, that would get a lost puppy a new home and watched me eat.  ‘Would you like to share?’

‘Yes, thank you’

Honestly it’s irresistible, ‘go and grab your fork from the drawer’

There is a knock at the front door and I wait for my friend to take the obligatory two metres leap from the front door.

We have a brief chat as we’ve not actually been face to face for some weeks.  As I say bye, I realise a few minutes have passed, (quite frankly I’m ashamed at myself, I think I’ve lost my edge at outwitting the under fives).

At least two thirds of my lunch has gone, my son and A are in cahoots, laughing together, as another forkful leaves my plate.  

The rest of the day flies by, we manage to bake a banana loaf, and by around 4pm everywhere I look there is the trail of the Banshee! 

I tweaked a recipe from one I found, I had no butter, but instead used a spreadable butter and it worked very well and added cinnamon, because its one of my favourite spices and adds a lovely warmth to the flavour of the cake.

This loaf was super soft, (helped by the spreadable butter and a very good initial mix when beating the sugar and butter together.  Waiting until its pale really does help the lightness of this cake).  The full recipe is below:

BANANA LOAF RECIPE

I know everyone was talking about Banana Bread during the first lockdown, but I didn’t get round to baking my usual banana loaf.  For me it’s more of a winter treat, this recipe is a loaf cake, perfect on its own with a cup of tea!

I had my little Banshee helping with the recipe, like the rock cakes, it’s a good recipe where little ones can help.  As they get older weighing out can be a great way to help them with their numeracy skills, but with really little ones, I tend to weigh out all the ingredients first, get organised, then get them to come and help.  It just means I can focus on them having fun, rather than feeling a little fraught as they add 3g too much flour!  (that’s definitely my issue, I know!)

INGREDIENTS AND EQUIPMENT 

You’ll need a loaf tin for this recipe, 2lb or 900g, this is a standard size and shouldn’t be difficult to get hold of.  It’s perfect for baking bread in too!

When using a cake tin, no matter the recipe, I’m inclined to line it with parchment paper.  My pre bake routine: butter out of the fridge, pre heat oven, cake tin prepped, then weigh your ingredients.

To line a cake tin, draw round the base of the tin, cut out, add a very thin layer of butter to your tin base and press parchment into place.  For the sides I tend to cut out pieces by eye.  Again rub a thin layer of butter along the sides of the tin.  If they’re a little too long, it’s fine the piece can overlap.  Make sure all the sides are covered though and there are no gaps in the corners.  The parchment is best if it comes up to the top as your bakes will rise.

150g butter (softened) - I used a spreadable butter as it was all I have.

150g caster sugar

150 self raising flour

1 tspn of baking powder

2 medium sized bananas / 3 small (well mashed and very ripe)

2 large eggs (beaten)

1 tsp of cinnamon 

I make my cakes in a food mixer, if you don’t have one, you can do this by hand.  It’s not something you see very often, yet  when I was at college and there were no electric mixers, we literally used our hands, (the first week, I thought it was a practical joke, made by a jolly chef, trust me, by week two I had no such assumptions!).  Think of your fingers glued together and used as a paddle.  It is very effective way to cream cakes and if you haven’t got a food mixer, this will give you a great result and a work out too!

Cream together butter and sugar, until pale, even in a mixer this will take a few minutes.

Then add the eggs gradually, in 3 or 4 lots, so that the mixture absorbs them, if it looks like the mixture is curdling (breaking up) add a tablespoon of flour.

Mix baking powder with flour, ensure well mixed as this can affect how the cake will rise.

Sieve about half the flour in the bowl, with the teaspoon of cinnamon, briefly mix in. 

Add your well mashed bananas and the rest of the flour, and combine the ingredients so you have a soft, light, even consistency cake mixture. In a mixer this will take just seconds.

Pour mixture into prepared tin and in the oven for 35-40 minutes.  To check a cake is cooked, it should just be coming away from the edges, and if you push a skewer into the cake, it should come out clean.

If your cake needs a little longer but is getting brown on top, to avoid burning cover carefully with tin foil.

Leave in the tin to cool for ten minutes, then carefully remove (a palette knife around the edge of the cake can help with this) and place on a wiring rack.  If you can resist, leave until cold as it will slice easier, but that cannot always be achieved! 

I’ve experimented with a maple syrup glaze for this banana loaf, it is not necessary.  I like banana loaf because it using up ingredients, the glaze does make this a little expensive, but for a treat, its well worth it.

Melt 25g butter, with 60ml of maple syrup, add the smallest pinches of fine salt and sieve in 100g of icing sugar.  Mix well and drizzle immediately on cake, as glaze will set fast!