Banana and dried cranberry tea cake

I know, I know... Another banana post in less than a month – please bear with me and my full-of-bananas-freezer. :D

This recipe comes from a book a bought several months ago but only recently became addicted to – and with a whole chapter devoted to bananas, I’ll be using it again soon. :D

Banana and dried cranberry tea cake

• 2 cups (280g) all purpose flour
• 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¾ cup (83g) dried cranberries, coarsely chopped if too large
• 8 tablespoons (113g/1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons (28g) shortening, room temperature
• 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cups mashed ripe bananas blended with ¼ cup sour cream – I used yogurt

Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F. Butter the insides of a 22.5x12.5x7.5cm (9x5x3in) loaf pan* and dust with flour, tapping out the excess.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon onto a medium bowl. In a small bowl, toss the cranberries with 1 teaspoon of the sifted mixture.

Cream butter and shortening in the large bowl of an electric mixer on moderate speed for 2 minutes. Add the granulated sugar and beat for 2 minutes longer. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, blending well after each addition. Blend in the vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl frequently with a rubber spatula to keep the batter even-textured.

On low speed, alternately add the sifted mixture in three additions, with the mashed bananas-sour cream blend in two additions, beginning and ending with the sifted ingredients. Stir in the cranberries. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, mounding it slightly in the center.

Bake the tea cake for 55 minutes or until risen, set and golden and a wooden pick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached to it. Cool the loaf in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes, unmold it onto another rack and cool completely – turn the cake so the top is upwards. Dust with icing sugar.

Let the tea cake mellow for at least 2 hour before slicing it.
Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

* I halved the recipe, used a 8x19x5cm loaf pan and baked the cake for 30 minutes

Makes about 12 slices