Dairy-free banana cake

There is always a cake brewing when I notice half a bunch of bananas in the bowl that no-one is going to pick up and eat in a million years. The ones that are more black than yellow and very, very squishy. My mum always used to make banana bread with these rather sad, dejected looking fruits as they make a much better cake than the firm, yellow ones. This is her recipe (almost):

Before mashing

Ingredients

200g self-raising flour
50g soya margarine
1 egg
50g sugar (I use light brown soft sugar)
grated rind of a lemon (I use 1/2 tsp lemon oil)
3 medium sized bananas
1/2 tsp ground mixed spice (optional, not part of the original recipe)

Method

After mashing, not too pretty!

Weigh out the flour and margarine into a large bowl and rub together to make crumbs.
Stir in the sugar.
In a separate bowl, mash the bananas with a fork and mix in the lemon, egg and mixed spice.
Add the wet mix to the dry and stir together.
Pour into a 2lb loaf tin which is either lined or greased and floured.
I like to sprinkle a tsp of demerara sugar on top to give a crunchy crust.

Ready to cook

Cook in 180c oven for 35 - 40 minutes, until a toothpick poked in the top comes out clean.

Cool in the tin for 5 minutes then place on a wire tray to cool.

This cake is most delicious when it is still slightly warm. It doesn't keep for long (maybe 2 days) as it is quite moist, the perfect excuse to have another slice!