Nigellas Banana Loaf

This is supremely good cake. Dense, substantial and yet improbably light. Nigella says to boil the fruits, but you can pre-soak them in rum, brandy - whatever tickles your booze-buds. This is courtesy of the Grande Dame of The Bakeratti, my ma, Pat. She always has a Parfait jar of steeping fruits nestled at the back of the cupboard, and therefore so do I. I add spice to mine too. They are wonderful neat over ice cream, rice pudding or, stroke-inducingly, just with a 'healthy' dollop of gilt-crusted clotted cream. And they work a treat in this banana loaf. Where Nigella states 'sugar', do yourself a favour and use light muscovado. The chemistry that takes place when it meets with the natural banana sugars, dried fruits and dark rum is sublime, wreathing each bite in toffee notes. You are committing a crime against humanity if you choose not to act on the recipe below!

INGREDIENTS
100g sultanas
75ml bourbon or dark rum
175g plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
125g unsalted butter, melted
150g sugar
2 large eggs
4 small, very ripe bananas (about 300g weighed without skin), mashed
60g chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
23 x 13 x 7cm loaf tin, buttered and floured or with a paper insert

METHOD Serves: Makes 8-10 slices

Put the sultanas and rum or bourbon in a smallish saucepan and bring to the boil.
Remove from the heat, cover and leave for an hour if you can, or until the sultanas have absorbed most of the liquid, then drain.
Preheat the oven to 170ºC/gas mark 3 and get started on the rest. Put the flour, baking powder, bicarb and salt in a medium-sized bowl and, using your hands or a wooden spoon, combine well.
In a large bowl, mix the melted butter and sugar and beat until blended. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the mashed bananas. Then, with your wooden spoon, stir in the walnuts, drained sultanas and vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture, a third at a time, stirring well after each bit. Scrape into the loaf tin and bake in the middle of the oven for 1-11/4 hours. When it's ready, an inserted toothpick or fine skewer should come out cleanish. Leave in the tin on a rack to cool, and eat thickly or thinly sliced, as you prefer.