Step 1

Warm up the oven to 175° C / 350° F and line a 900 g / 2 lb cake tin with baking paper. Move the oven rack a notch down from the middle position.

Step 2

Combine well mashed up bananas with oil, almond milk, lemon juice and sugar in a large bowl. Mix very well.

Step 3

In a smaller bowl, combine all the dry ingredients.

Step 4

Add dry ingredients to the wet ones in three batches, mixing well each time. Mix until there is no dry flour left, but do not overmix (that's only important if you are using a flour containing gluten)!

Step 5

Transfer the cake batter into the prepared baking tin. It should be fairy thick. Slice a banana in half lengthwise and place on top of the cake - do not press it down as the cake will raise all around it.

Step 6

Bake for about 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out fairy clean (this cake should be moist). Remove from the oven and brush with with a little maple syrup while the cake is still hot.

Step 7

Let the cake cool down completely before removing it from the tin and slicing. Use a serrated knife to slice if you have one - I find that it produces neater looking slices.