Rum and Raisin Banana Cake

These days, I'm on a high. There are lots of things happening, lots of good things. I celebrated two very important milestones this weekend and it is time for the third. All of you know that I started this blog on a holiday we had about two days after I joined my “new” place of work. I completed three years with the company and that is a first for me. In one of the jobs I’d held earlier, I switched jobs before I completed three years. So it was special. 


There was also this other plan of mine which, with some planning, fructified about 8-10 years ahead of schedule. So, we had to celebrate both these events. What better way to celebrate anything than to go to Earth and let everyone there just pamper us. And that is exactly what we did.


Close on the heels of these two milestones, on this quiet Sunday afternoon, my dearly beloved, The Singing Chef, turned T-H-R-E-E.


While I’ve not paid as much attention to this blog in recent times, I think the nurturing it received in the initial years is what keeps it going. Year 3 had me meeting the original inspiration behind this blog, Nandita, for the first time. It was a very short visit, but one that had been pending for so long that even the half an hour felt worth the effort. It was in this year that my namesake, Arundati and her husband came and stayed with us. We got along like a house on fire, went shopping, cooked meals and did all those things that one does when friends come over. Including hours and hours of chatting. I met Sra in the comfort of my own home in Chennai and have received foodie gifts, including a whole stash of parchment paper from Deeba.


In Year 3, I got my first cheque from Adsense. Like the small cherry on top of your sundae, there was some monetary gain. But the real happiness still comes from the friends I’ve gained. From the adulation this blog receives. From the thrill that comes out of people cooking from this blog and sharing pictures of the food with me. From almost unknown people telling me that they scan my space before deciding what to cook for dinner. And for all this, I’m more thankful than ever.


It is thanks to all of you that I’m even blogging about a third birthday. So, please come and have a slice of this yummy Rum and Raisin Cake.




1 cup Flour
3/4 cup Wheat Flour
2 tsp Baking Powder
¼ tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Salt
3/4 cup Brown Sugar
2/3 cup Raisins (soaked overnight in dark rum)
3-4 Bananas (overripe), peeled
1/3 cup Oil
2 Eggs
Oil and flour for lining and dusting




Heat the oven to 350F. Grease and dust a cake tin. (I used two 6 x 6 tins)


Sift the dry ingredients together.


Combine the bananas, eggs, oil and brown sugar in a bowl. Using an electric mixer, blend all these to a rough paste. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and add the raisins. Mix well and pour into the prepared cake tin.


Bake for 35-40 minutes (or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean). Cool on a rack for a few minutes.


You'll find that a little sweetness goes a long way. Thank you - each and every one of you.