For me, banana bread is always a good idea. I tend to do the same thing time and time again, I buy a huge bunch of bananas, some natural yoghurt and then have this as a snack for a couple of days. I then get bored of having the same snack and the bananas end up becoming overripe and I don’t like to eat them, so what can you do but turn them into a cake?
This recipe is super easy and I’ve based it on a simple sponge recipe, and it works well with added extras. A couple of tablespoons of nutella, a handful of walnuts or pecans, sultanas, chocolate chips, a smidge of cinnamon, even a bit of rum – it’s truly up to you and what you’d like to put in.
As the bananas are quite stodgy, I add a little teaspoon of baking powder, but it shouldn’t matter too much if you don’t have any.
The ingredients you need are;
– 5oz (140g) of caster sugar
– 5oz (140g) of self-raising flour
– 5oz (140g) of butter (ideally at room temperature)
– 2 organic eggs, beaten
– 1tsp of baking powder
– 2 ripe bananas, mashed up
– handful of walnuts, optional
- Heat your oven to 180C fan/ 190C/ gas mark 4.
- Butter your loaf tin or very lightly coat in a flavourless oil such as a rapeseed.
- Grab your whisk, electric will work much quicker, and cream together your butter and sugar, then slowly add the eggs and a bit of the flour.
- Fold in the rest of your flour, the 1tsp of baking powder and finally your bananas and walnuts, if you’re using them.
- Pour your mixture into the loaf tin and pop into the over for about 35/40 mins.
- Check it’s cooked by inserting a skewer and if it comes out clean then it’s ready if not, pop back in for a few minutes and check again.
- Wait for it to cool slightly and enjoy!
A x
Abi in the Garden 