Go Back
banana cake recipe delia smith
Nancy Wilson

Delia Smith Banana and Walnut Loaf (Banana Cake Recipe)

A banana loaf from Delia Smith's Delia's Cakes, made with butter, lard, walnuts and orange and lemon zest. It has a sandy batter and a crunchy demerara top.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Resting 40 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 5 minutes
Servings: 10 slices
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: British
Calories: 274
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the loaf
  • 225 g plain flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder level
  • 40 g butter at room temperature
  • 40 g lard at room temperature
  • 1 large egg beaten
  • 110 g caster sugar
  • 4 medium bananas about 470 g peeled, mashed
  • 50 g walnuts roughly chopped
  • 1 orange zest only
  • 1 lemon zest only
For the top
  • 1 tbsp demerara sugar rounded

Equipment

  • 2lb loaf tin (the same size as Delia's "1lb" Silverwood tin)
  • Baking parchment or loaf tin liner
  • Electric hand whisk
  • Sieve
  • Large mixing bowl and a second bowl for the bananas
  • Large fork
  • Fine grater or zester
  • Skewer
  • Wire cooling rack

Method
 

  1. Heat oven. Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan, gas mark 4). Put the shelf low, so the top of the tin sits level with the middle of the oven. Line a 2lb loaf tin.
  2. Prep flavourings. Finely grate the orange and lemon zest. Roughly chop the walnuts.
  3. Sift dry ingredients. Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl, holding the sieve high.
  4. Add fat, egg, sugar. Add the butter, lard, beaten egg and caster sugar to the bowl.
  5. Whisk until sandy. Whisk with an electric hand whisk for about 1 minute until the mix looks like damp sand.
  6. Mash bananas. Mash the bananas to a pulp in a separate bowl. Whisk them briefly into the mix.
  7. Fold in. Fold in the walnuts and zest until just mixed.
  8. Fill tin. Spoon the batter into the tin, level the top and sprinkle with the demerara sugar.
  9. Bake loaf. Bake for about 1 hour 10 minutes, until a skewer in the centre comes out with no wet batter. Start checking at 1 hour in a fan oven.
  10. Cool down. Leave in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.

Notes

  • 160°C fan is my own conversion (the usual 20°C drop). Delia's fan oven page was not checked, so start testing at 1 hour.
  • Use a standard 2lb loaf tin. Delia's "1lb" Silverwood tin is the same size. A true small 1lb tin will overflow.
  • Weigh the peeled bananas. 4 medium bananas is about 470 g by my calculation, and 450 g to 500 g works.
  • The loaf is done when a skewer in the centre has no wet batter on it and the top is deep golden.
  • For a vegetarian loaf, use 80 g butter in total. Delia Online suggests butter or margarine instead of lard, and spreadable butter in the intro.
  • Store in an airtight tin in its liner. I suggest eating within 3 days, or freezing slices for up to 1 month.