Is there anything better than homemade cake?! Personally, I can’t think of many things… You can have your (healthier) cake and eat it with a few tweaks and amendments to most baking classics. Packed full of goodness and fibre, this banana and date loaf is gluten, dairy and refined sugar free, and tastes bloomin’ delicious – if I do say so myself!

Great with a cup of tea, serve this cake warm either on its own or spread with a dash of your favourite nut butter. Almond butter is my personal choice – heaven!

Ingredients:
2-3 ripe bananas, mashed
100g Medjool dates, pitted and chopped
200g buckwheat flour
2 tsp ground Cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
2-3 tbsp maple syrup (depending on how sweet you like it!)
100ml almond milk, plus extra to loosen the mixture if needed
Handful of crushed walnuts (optional)

For the top:
1 ripe banana, cut in half lengthways
A few crushed walnuts
A few drops of maple syrup to sink in

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Grease and line a small loaf tin.

2. Start by blending the dates with a splash of water until fairly smooth, using a high speed/power food processor. I wouldn’t use a Nutribullet, as they don’t seem to like blending dates!

3. Mash the bananas and mix in the rest of the ingredients, including the dates, stirring together until a mixture is formed. It won’t be completely smooth, as the dates will leave a few lumps.

4. Pour in to the loaf tin and top with the sliced banana and walnuts.

5. Pop in the oven and cook for 30-40 minutes until cooked through.

6. Add a few drops of maple syrup to the top half way through baking to sink in and add extra stickiness!