Fairtrade chocolate and banana loaf cake (V)

Celebrate all things Fairtrade with a chocolate loaf cake packed with do-good products. Go bananas and have the time of your loaf making this delicious bake, which will taste great and support farmers.

SERVES 12 TAKES 1 hour 20 mins

Ingredients

• 100g Co-op unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
• 175g Co-op Fairtrade white sugar
• 2 Co-op British eggs
• 60g Co-op Fairtrade cocoa powder
• 110g Co-op plain flour
• 2 ripe Co-op Fairtrade bananas
• 2 tbsp Co-op semi-skimmed milk
• 100g Co-op Fairtrade dark chocolate, broken into small chunks
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 100g Co-op unsalted butter, softened
• 60g Co-op icing sugar
• 20g Co-op Fairtrade cocoa powder, sifted
• 1 tbsp Co-op semi-skimmed milk
• 6 Co-op Fairtrade Irresistible Belgian flaked white chocolate or milk chocolate truffles, roughly chopped
• 12 Co-op Fairtrade white chocolate buttons, roughly chopped

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/Gas 4
2. Grease and line a 2lb loaf tin with greaseproof paper
3. Beat the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy
4. Gradually beat in the eggs with 1 tbsp of the cocoa powder and 1 tbsp of the flour
5. In a separate bowl, mash the bananas with the milk
6. Fold the banana mixture and the chocolate chunks into the batter
7. Sieve together the remaining cocoa powder and flour, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder
8. Fold into the mixture
9. Spoon the batter into the tin and bake for about 1 hour, covering the top with greaseproof paper or foil after 30 mins
10. The cake is cooked when it’s risen and shrinking from the sides of the tin
11. Allow to cool in the tin for about 10 mins then transfer to a wire rack
12. To make the icing, combine the butter, icing sugar and cocoa powder with the milk
13. Spread the icing on top of the cake and decorate with the chocolate truffles and chocolate buttons