Banana, hazelnut and cinnamon cakes and the book I am currently reading

I thought I should tell you what book I’m reading right now – after all, you helped me choose it. I decided to go for a modern classic: "In Cold Blood" – I hadn’t read anything by Truman Capote and even though I’m still in the beginning of the book I’m enjoying his narrative very much.

And since I am reading a modern classic, I’ll give you today a recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks: Donna Hay’s Modern Classics Book 2 – these little breads turned out so good I regretted halving the recipe. :D

Banana, hazelnut and cinnamon cakes
from the always delicious and foolproof Modern Classics Book 2

½ cup + 2 tablespoons (140g) unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup + 1 tablespoon (112g) superfine sugar
1 egg
1 ½ cups (210g) all purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
½ cup (50g) hazelnut meal (finely ground hazelnuts)
1/3 cup (80ml) buttermilk*
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1-2 bananas, sliced
melted butter for brushing
demerara sugar for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter six ¾ cup (180ml) capacity mini loaf pans.
Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until light and creamy. Add the egg and beat well. Add the flour, baking powder, hazelnut meal, buttermilk and cinnamon and fold through until smooth.
Divide the mixture among the prepared pans and smooth the top. Brush with melted butter then arrange the banana slices on top the batter and sprinkle with the demerara sugar. Bake until risen and golden and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Carefully unmold onto a wire rack.
Serve warm or at room temperature.

* homemade buttermilk: place 1 tablespoon lemon juice in a 240ml-capacity measuring cup and complete with whole milk. Wait 10 minutes for it to thicken, then use the whole mixture in your recipe

Makes 6 – I halved the recipe above, used 1/3 cup (80ml) capacity mini loaf pans and got 6 breads