Sticky banana and maple cake/bread

Sometimes when you are spending all day with a toddler you just need a little something to make you smile.  This, I think, is especially true when you are going through tough times like sickness, a tooth, or…. sleeping issues.  Our son…. sigh… Cutest smile ever, a total joy during the day, but a bad sleeper?  oh my.  The problem with him is that if you give him an inch he just takes it to the next level.  For example he’ll go from sleeping through the night, to waking up 2-3 times, to waking up 10 times.  We give in out of exhaustion and bring him to bed.  He’ll sleep amazing in bed with us, and we think OK we’ll just live with this.  Then he’ll start pushing his bedtime later and later and waking up longer and longer at night until it’s a big sleep deprived mess.  So, we cry it out (brace for hate mail).

It kills me.

To bring a little joy to our life we’ve been zooming through Modern Family.  We watched seasons 3 and 4 and now are starting all over again with season one, which I have to say is maybe my favourite.  In the latest episode, Cam and Mitch feberize Lily.  Of course, Cam is tearing at the door whereas Mitch is holding him back.  It’s funny, but so typical and I think that’s why I like this show so much.  There’s always something you can relate to.

Which has nothing to do with this recipe!

I made this simple recipe from one of my favourite cooking mags BBC Good Food.  OK, Bon Appetit might be hip, but damn is Good Food useful.  I have about three years of back copies that I just keep referring to, and finding new treasures.  Baking is my thing lately, and this cake is good.  It’s a moist, light banana bread drenched in maple syrup.  Really, feel free to add as much as you want to drench your cake.  Why not?  In my opinion, it resembles more a banana bread than a true cake.

And parents of children with sleep problems – I feel your pain, your sleepless nights, your heart wrenching as you try to decide what’s right for you and your family.

Sticky banana & maple cake

Adapted from BBC Good Food Magazine, October 2010

100g softened butter

1/2 cup maple syrup

3 small ripe bananas, and 1 overripe banana

200g brown sugar

4 eggs

seeds from 2 vanilla pods

200g self raising flour

100g ground almonds

1 tsp baking soda

200g Greek yoghurt

• Preheat oven to 325F
• Butter a 20cm/8″ square tin.  Line with parchment paper leaving a slight overhang.
• Pour half the syrup in the bottom and swirl to coat.
• Cut 3 ripe bananas in half lengthwise and lay in the bottom of the tin cut side down.
• Mix together butter, overripe banana, sugar, eggs and vanilla.
• Add in the flour, almonds and baking soda.
• Lastly, dump in the greek yoghurt and stir.
• Plop batter on top of the bananas trying not to disturb them.
• Cook 45 min – 1 hour or until a skewer comes out with moist crumbs.
• Poke with skewer all over about half way down.  Pour the rest of the maple syrup over the cake allowing it to soak.