Take five

One of the toughest things about following a gluten free diet is the lack of good cakes. As you probably know if you  have read my blog a few times, I love a good tea shop, and although many places do now have a gluten free choice, it's often looks a bit dusty and disappointing alongside the inviting Victoria sponges, melting shortbreads and plump fruitcake.  So, my mission has been to find cakes I can bake that are gluten-free but don't look or taste lacking in any department. Yesterday, I found this sticky banana and toffee cake and it is totally brilliant. My family loved it too, and said they never would have guessed that not only is it wheat free, it's virtually fat-free too.

The recipe comes from Waitrose's spring collection, a little booklet of recipes, although it is originally from a book called Red Velvet and Chocolate Heartache by Harry Eastwood. The secret ingredient is grated squash (I know it sounds a bit knit-your-own lentils, but it's really not). There are also ground almonds, brown sugar and eggs. The cake is baked and then glazed with a toffee syrup which soaks into all the little air holes. The glaze is the only thing which has a little bit of butter in it. Apart from that, guilt-free!

The perfect partner to my rosebud junk shop plate, too!