My grocery stock is pretty much the metaphor for my life. The bananas are going off but there’s sesame halva in the fridge and coconut blossom sugar in the cupboard. Mental state aside, at least a recipe came of it. The sesame notes are not very prominent as bananas can be overpowering. The halwa functions mostly as a sweetener, with just a hint of its interestingness pulling through the loaf. This one-bowl-wonder makes a light loaf which holds up very well for eating the next day or the day after. Substitute the coconut blossom sugar with a dry sweetener of your choice. I only used it because I had it on hand, and well, why not?

Banana loaf with Sesame Halwa
(An Ice Cream Everyday Original)

  • 140g flour
  • 1 and 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  • pinch of salt
  • 110g double-cream yoghurt
  • 2 ripe bananas (medium-sized)
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 100g sesame halwa (also sold as tahini halwa/halva)
  • 1/2 cup coconut blossom sugar

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Sift the dry ingredients together. Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and use a stick blender to combine. Once the batter is smooth, stir with a flat spatula to ensure that all the flour is incorporated. Pour into a greased and foil-lined loaf pan and bake for 25 minutes or until the cake tests as completely baked. Allow cake to cool before removing from tin. Frost as desired. I enjoyed my loaf plain with slatherings of marmalade.