Banana, Pecan and Maple Syrup Cake

Ok, so I kicked things off with a healthy food post! Now for the cheat recipe! I was recently given the task of creating a birthday cake for my one of my closest friends, and based on her love of pecan plaits I came up with this little beauty - a banana, pecan and maple syrup cake! The addition of banana means the sponge is incredibly moist, whilst the cream cheese filling cuts through the sticky sweetness of the maple caramel glaze! I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did!

Ingredients: 
(For the cake)
- 200grams of Butter (Softened)
- 150grams of Light Soft Brown Sugar
- 4 Bananas (Mashed)
- 3 Eggs
- 75ml of Maple Syrup
- 400grams of Self-Raising Flour
- 2 Handfuls of Pecans (Finely Chopped)

(For the filling)
- 200grams of Cream Cheese
- 15ml of Maple Syrup
- 125grams of Icing Sugar (Sifted)

(For the caramel glaze)
- 100grams of Caster Sugar
- 100ml of Maple Syrup
- 100ml of Double Cream
- 50grams of Butter (Softened)
- Pecans to Decorate

Method:
1) For the Cake: Preheat the oven to 180'C, and grease two 8" round, 1.5" deep cake tins, lining the bottoms with grease proof paper.

2) Grab a big bowl and cream together the Butter and Sugar until light and fluffy (either by hand or with an electric whisk)

3) Next add the Banana and Maple Syrup and mix until combined. Then do the same with the Pecans and the Eggs.

4) Finally fold in the flour and then divide the mixture between the two tins and place in the preheated oven for around 40 minutes to work its magic.

Top Tip: skewer the cake with a knife in the middle to see if its cooked, if the knife comes out clean its ready, if not pop it back in the oven and check again every 5-or-so minutes. 

5) For the Topping: While the cake is in the oven find yourself a large, (heavy-bottomed if you have one) sauce pan and place in the sugar, putting if over a low heat on the hob to caramelise. DO NOT STIR! Although this is very tempting, leave the sugar to work its magic ON IS OWN, shaking occasionally to if the centre caramelises before the outsides.

6) When all the sugar has caramelised, remove from the heat and add the Cream, Maple Syrup and butter, the place back on the heat and stir until the mixture is soft, light brown in colour and has the thickness of caramel. Then take off the heat and place to one side.

7) For the Filling: Whisk together all of the ingredients and pop in the fridge until needed! Simple!

When the sponges are cool, its time to assemble your cake! Drizzle the top of your first sponge with around a third of the Caramel topping, then cover with your Cream Cheese filling. Place the second sponge on top and pour over the remainder of the Caramel sauce, starting in the centre and letting the sauce spill over the edges, decorate the top with the remaining pecans and enjoy!

Ta-Daah, a deicious, super sweet cake perfect for an indulgent afternoon tea, or an after dinner treat for the whole family!

Charlotte x