So this week is afternoon tea weekend I wanted to share a few delicious recipes for some sweet treats that you could rustle up to accompany a nice cuppa’ with friends. I have a few different ideas up my sleeve including; scones, cookies and cupcakes.. can you tell I’ve been really getting into baking this week! Sometimes baked goods are a slightly challenging for me however, this week I feel like I’ve really got into the groove with this whole baking thing, so thought I’d make the most of it.
I had a few over-ripe bananas on the kitchen counter this morning, so naturally, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to rustle up some delicious banana bread. When it comes to banana breads, I like to make sure that they’re quite fluffy and moist in texture, there’s nothing worse than a really dry and heavy cake. I love the flavour that bananas infuse into baking and they make an excellent replacement for oil and sugar in cakes. I wouldn’t exactly call my self an expert when it comes to baking, actually I think I’m very much far from it! My approach is more of a wing it and just keep testing things out until they work kinda’ thing and to be honest, I think that baking and a lot of cooking styles are very much trial and error. Lots of ideas might seem amazing on paper, but sometimes just don’t turn out how you pictured them in real life. What I will say, is that I think the secret to creating the moist, light texture in the cake Is using part ground almonds rather than all flour, the banana and also a liquid sweetener- here I’ve used honey. The honey adds a slightly fragrant and fruity depth of sweetness, as well as keeping the cake refined sugar free. The recipe is also gluten and dairy free as well (I’m by no means saying that you should never eat these things, but I personally just try and keep these minimal in my diet- but that’s just me!)
Not only would this be the perfect accompaniment for a cup of tea, but the frosting is also infused with earl grey tea too.. double whammy! I’ve recently been working along side the incredible Tea company; We Are Tea, who produce a fantastic range of loose leaf and pyramid tea bag teas in a whole range of amazing flavours. I’ve been really getting into brewing loose leaf tea lately, as my boyfriend bought me a really cool little gadget that means I no longer have to use that little metal tea infuser that constantly leaked tea leaves into my cup. Happy days! I find that Earl Grey works really well in cakes and desserts, especially alongside sweet, mellow flavours such as vanilla and in this case, banana. The tea infusion is subtle, but you can taste it’s there. Early Grey was always my favourite tea to drink as a child and I just love it’s scent; I find it so calming.
If you fancy honouring afternoon tea week (what an excellent celebration might I add) then these mini banana breads are the ideal thing to bake for friends, as there will be plenty of slices to go around. You could also sandwich two slices together with some PB & J, which I think would taste absolutely divine!
