Banoffee Slab Cake

So what does being a newlywed feel like?

Exactly the same as before, but with more food.

After opening up wedding cards and watching notes and cheques flutter to the floor, I felt serious urge to thank people.  Like, I think Kris and I even broke into song for someone (the fact that we were enjoying a glass of wine at the time means nothing) and in my family when you want to thank someone, you do it one of two ways.

1. With food
2. With more food.

So I've thrown a few dinner parties, given people homebaked cakes, I've made loaves upon loaves of bread, I've insisted on taking puddings to peoples houses, I'm bringing stuff into work, the whole nine yards.

It's been fun.  It's been a bit fattening.  Oops.

What I'm uploading today is actually the fifth round of this recipe.  I wanted it perfect.

The first attempt I took to a good foodie friends house, and despite it being more banana bread like and the toffee on top being more of a crumble / butterscotch it went down okay, I think.

Second round I took into work, I reduced sugar, upped banana content.  Like the tit I am, I actually set this batch on fire, as I glazed the top with my blowtorch, the baking parchment it was lined with went up in flames (who knew paper and oil would be flammable, eh?) and it took and lot of panicking and damp tea towels to put it out.

Third batch was for a present.  Was again, more banana bread like and rising too much.... 

Fourth and fifth batches were for a friend coming round for dinner, and for a dinner party on consecutive days.  Somehow managed to get the same consistency,  and tried a different sugar / butter consistency for the top.

HUZZAH!  This is the result...

Happy to report the only thing I burnt on this batch was my fingers.  Note to self - Do not touch boiling sugar.  NO TOUCHY.

Here's the stats:  This is a pretty straight forward recipe.  The cake contains sugar.  A lot of it.  It takes over an hour in the oven.  The toffee on top is home made.  The cheat is to melt some shop bought toffees.  I won't judge.  I used spelt flour because it's nuttier and quite frankly, I prefer it, but go bananas (pahaha I love a good pun) and use normal white plain flour if you want.

YOU WILL NEED:

For the cake
4 over ripe bananas, mashed up.

7 oz. spelt flour

2 oz. oatmeal

8 oz light soft brown sugar

4 oz softened unsalted butter

4 tablespoons almond milk (or normal milk if you fancy)

2 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the toffee topping

2 oz unsalted butter

4 oz caster sugar

100ml whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

FIRST OF ALL

Preheat your oven to roughly 170°C (gas mark 3) and line a large loaf tin with baking paper.  Grease it up and set to one side.

MIXIN IT UP

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until it is light and airy.  Add in the whisked eggs, and whisk until it is all combined.  Stir in the mushed banana, almond milk and vanilla extract.  Give it a good mix before folding in the flour.

TOLD YOU IT WAS EASY

Next up, pour it into your greased, lined tin and pop that bad boy in your pre-heated oven for about an hour.  Check on it at regular intervals.  (Your kitchen will smell pretty good by now.)   Once it's cooked, pull it out of the oven and leave to cool in the tin.

NO TOUCHY

Carefully, in a big saucepan, melt the butter and sugar together until all the sugar is dissolved, on a high heat, keep stirring until the mixture starts to bubble and thicken.  Add in the whipping cream and keep stirring.  Once the mixture reaches Firm-Ball Stage (242° F–248° - 116° C–120° C) remove it from the heat and pour the gloopy mixture straight onto the top of the cake.  For those without a sugar thermometer, the mixture is done when it starts to get very bubbly / thick and holds its shape when dropped into a glass of cold water.  Leave to set.  This will take a while.

SERVE/SCOFF
Once the cake / toffee is cooled, remove from the tin by precariously pulling it out by the baking paper.  Cut up and serve.  Tastes pretty good grilled and served with ice cream.

Ohh bum, yeah, wedding stuff!  I did promise, didn't' it?  Okay.  I've posted a few snaps to my instagram (thank you for all the lovely words and shizz)  Quick lowdown on the day.  In list form.  Cause that's the way I roll.

1. We had blazing sunshine... in March.  No complaints there.
2. Our insistence that there be lots of colour and good food was upheld.
3. There was lots of laughing.
4. I got to walk down the Aisle to Queen and The Darkness played by a very talented String Trio - Ariella Strings.
5. I had two wedding cakes.  One red glittery fruit cake made by an amazingly talented friend and our traditional two tier made by another family friend (toppers once again made by my very talented little brother.
6. [[No, there was no way in hell you could have paid me to make my own wedding cake after making my best friends last year. :)]]
7. We made all of the signs, table numbers, pom poms, menus/place cards, invitations (which were record sleeves with a pullout paper record inside).
8. Favours were individually labelled bottles of fentimans drinks.
9. Reception drinks was a hot drinks affair, tables of tea / coffee and hot chocolate, and mini scone canapes.
10. Photographers were lovely and did an amazing job.  We'd already had someone else in mind when I saw their logo on a wedding blog.  It looked really similar to mine (an egotistical reason to click on it I'm sure), and when I clicked on it.  BOOM.  Fell in love with pictures.  Changed photographers that day.
11. The cars were awesome.
12. The day was awesome.

Photo credit for the wedding pictures goes to the uber lovely Toby & Han at Red On Blonde Photography.  A bang on set of snaps!

Later, foodie friends,