Date, banana & rum loaf

By Jane Hornby

A tasty cake with no added fat or sugar – try it to believe it. Plus it’s easily made gluten-free

Prep:15 mins
Cook:1 hrs

More effort

Nutrition per serving

kcal 310
fat 8g
saturates 1g
carbs 57g
sugars 49g
fibre 3g
protein 5g
salt 0.39g

Ingredients

250g pack stoned, ready-to-eat dates
2 small or 1 large bananas (140g/5oz in weight)
100g pecans, 85g/3oz roughly chopped, rest left whole
200g raisins
200g sultanas
100g fine polenta
2 tsp mixed spice
2 tsp baking powder (use gluten-free if needed)
3 tbsp dark rum
2 egg whites
a few banana chips and 1 tsp sugar (optional), to decorate

Method

Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Line a 900g/2lb loaf tin with non-stick baking paper, using a little oil to make it stick. Put the dates into a small pan with 200ml boiling water and simmer for 5 mins. Drain the liquid into a jug, then put the dates into a food processor. Add the bananas and 100ml of the date liquid and whizz until smooth. Mix the nuts, dried fruit, polenta, spice and baking powder in a bowl, then add the date purée and rum, and stir until combined.
Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks and fold into the cake mix. Tip into the tin (it will be quite full), then top with the remaining pecans and the banana chips and sugar, if using. Bake for 1 hr until golden and crusty and a skewer comes out clean. Cool completely before cutting into slices.

Suggested recipes from this collection...

POST-ID:394 array(7) { [0]=> object(WP_Term)#16775 (11) { ["term_id"]=> int(38) ["name"]=> string(19) "Gluten free Recipes" ["slug"]=> string(11) "gluten-free" ["term_group"]=> int(0) ["term_taxonomy_id"]=> int(38) ["taxonomy"]=> string(15) "bbc_collections" ["description"]=> string(52) "Delicious celiac-friendly recipes for every occasion" ["parent"]=> int(0) ["count"]=> int(68) ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" ["term_order"]=> string(1) "0" } [1]=> object(WP_Term)#16674 (11) { ["term_id"]=> int(391) ["name"]=> string(16) "Gluten-free cake" ["slug"]=> string(16) "gluten-free-cake" ["term_group"]=> int(0) ["term_taxonomy_id"]=> int(391) ["taxonomy"]=> string(15) "bbc_collections" ["description"]=> string(41) "No one will know they're wheat-free." ["parent"]=> int(0) ["count"]=> int(26) ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" ["term_order"]=> string(1) "0" } [2]=> object(WP_Term)#17605 (11) { ["term_id"]=> int(70) ["name"]=> string(24) "Gluten-free cake recipes" ["slug"]=> string(24) "gluten-free-cake-recipes" ["term_group"]=> int(0) ["term_taxonomy_id"]=> int(70) ["taxonomy"]=> string(15) "bbc_collections" ["description"]=> string(0) "" ["parent"]=> int(0) ["count"]=> int(12) ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" ["term_order"]=> string(1) "0" } [3]=> object(WP_Term)#16788 (11) { ["term_id"]=> int(209) ["name"]=> string(13) "Healthy treat" ["slug"]=> string(13) "healthy-treat" ["term_group"]=> int(0) ["term_taxonomy_id"]=> int(209) ["taxonomy"]=> string(15) "bbc_collections" ["description"]=> string(35) "Lighter choices for naughty treats." ["parent"]=> int(0) ["count"]=> int(35) ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" ["term_order"]=> string(1) "0" } [4]=> object(WP_Term)#16755 (11) { ["term_id"]=> int(97) ["name"]=> string(14) "Healthy treats" ["slug"]=> string(14) "healthy-treats" ["term_group"]=> int(0) ["term_taxonomy_id"]=> int(97) ["taxonomy"]=> string(15) "bbc_collections" ["description"]=> string(102) "You don't have to go without - just opt for these lighter choices for your favourite indulgences!" ["parent"]=> int(0) ["count"]=> int(25) ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" ["term_order"]=> string(1) "0" } [5]=> object(WP_Term)#16683 (11) { ["term_id"]=> int(393) ["name"]=> string(12) "Low-fat cake" ["slug"]=> string(12) "low-fat-cake" ["term_group"]=> int(0) ["term_taxonomy_id"]=> int(393) ["taxonomy"]=> string(15) "bbc_collections" ["description"]=> string(31) "Scrumptious but not so naughty." ["parent"]=> int(0) ["count"]=> int(22) ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" ["term_order"]=> string(1) "0" } [6]=> object(WP_Term)#16779 (11) { ["term_id"]=> int(398) ["name"]=> string(12) "Polenta cake" ["slug"]=> string(12) "polenta-cake" ["term_group"]=> int(0) ["term_taxonomy_id"]=> int(398) ["taxonomy"]=> string(15) "bbc_collections" ["description"]=> string(0) "" ["parent"]=> int(0) ["count"]=> int(13) ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" ["term_order"]=> string(1) "0" } }