Despite my housemate’s almost pathological fear of bananas, I felt I had to make a banana loaf this week to heed repeated demands for it. The great thing about this recipe is that you can pretend it’s healthy because of the fruit – just keep telling yourself that and it will come true. I promise.
Ingredients:
- 285g plain flour
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 110g butter
- 225g caster sugar
- 2 eggs
- 4 ripe bananas, mashed
- 85ml buttermilk (or normal milk with a decent squeeze of lemon)
- 1tsp vanilla extract
- Chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions:
1) Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2) Grease and lightly flour a loaf tin.
3) Beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until you get a smooth consistency.
4) Add the eggs, mashed bananas, buttermilk and vanilla and beat for a couple of minutes until combined.
5) Add the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt and fold in gently with a wooden spoon. Add the chocolate chips if desired.
6) Pour into the loaf tin and bake for about an hour – check it after 30-40 minutes and if the top is looking very brown, put a bit of tin foil on top to prevent it from burning (unfortunately our oven is quite temperamental so it burnt before I was able to save it…sad times).
7) Check it is done by inserting a skewer or knife in the middle – if there is any raw batter on it when removed, pop it back in the oven. This loaf is quite moist so don’t be surprised if the skewer doesn’t come out completely clean, like other cakes.
8) Remove from the oven and leave to cool for a couple of minutes before easing it out of the tin with a knife.
Enjoy a slice warm with a bit of melted butter (if you’re feeling particularly indulgent!), obviously accompanied with a cup of tea (are you starting to see a theme?!) It’s also great cold and lasts for a couple of days.