BANANA, RUM AND DULCE DE LECHE CAKES

 This week, the city and I celebrated our first anniversary. Yes, it's now been one whole year since I packed my life into two holdalls, a rucksack, an A2 folder and a handbag. While the logistical nightmare that was that train journey remains firmly ingrained in my memory, it's been an incredible year. London, I love you.

Of course, there are things that need work - the housing bubble, the district line, Covent Garden on Saturdays - but nobody's perfect are they? I'm sure I speak for a lot of Londoner's in admitting that it's very easy to get caught up in the complaining, and forget how lucky we are to live in this big ol' city. 

Even with a year of living and playing under my belt, I feel like i'm still just scratching the surface of this city. Seeing as we seem to be going steady these days, I'm making a conscious effort to keep the romance alive and continue exploring and experiencing new things. I would love to hear any suggestions you have for my London bucket-list. Bonus points for anything involving cake, of course. 

Jellied eels and mash these are not, but with Caribbean spirit seeping out of Notting Hill, they seemed a fitting little tribute to the city. As I may have mentioned, Dulce de Leche is a serious weakness of mine. I'm talking spoon, bowl, demolition. The bananas and rum are rather delicious too but if nothing else, make these cakes to keep your caramel safe from gluttonous fridge pickers like myself.

You can buy dulce de leche of course, but it's dangerously good if you take the time to make it yourself. You can find my cheats recipe here.

 THE INGREDIENTS

3 small, very ripe bananas

95g unsalted butter

130g plain flour

1.5 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

95g light muscovado sugar

2 eggs
100g dulce de leche
2.5 tbsp dark rum
100g pecans

THE RECIPE

Preheat your oven to 180C, and grease a mini-muffin tin. Pop your butter in the microwave to melt it. Seperately, peel your bananas into a bowl, and mash them up until pureed. Weigh the flour, baking powder, bicarb, salt, sugar and eggs into a third bowl, and beat until smooth and combined. While the mixer is going, add the butter and banana puree. 

Measure 1 tbsp of mixture into each tin, then top up equally with anything you have left in the bowl. Bake in your preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, until nicely risen and golden.

Seperately, weigh the dulce de leche and rum into a bowl, and beat to combine. Decant into a piping bag. Take each cake, a piece the top with the end of the piping bag. Squeeze the caramel in until it starts to bubble to the surface with a dollop and stick on a pecan. Repeat until all the cakes are full to the brim of sticky warm rum caramel.