Banana Loaf

There is nothing appetising about entering the kitchen to the look and smell of blackened bananas! They are however an essential ingredient for a Banana Loaf. They need to be at the point of collapsing ripeness so that the merest hint of pressure from a fork delivers a pile of fragrant mush. This loaf is the ideal way to use up bananas that are otherwise destined for the compost bin. The addition of walnuts or pecan nuts to the loaf are an optional but heavenly combination.

Recipe: Banana Loaf

• 225g Plain Flour
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Mixed Spice or Ground Cinnamon
• 100g Castor Sugar
• 1 Beaten Egg
• 75g Softened Butter
• 1/4 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 75g Chopped Pecan Nuts or Walnuts
• 4 Medium Bananas
• Few Whole Pecans/Walnuts to decorate
• Icing Sugar

Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into the bowl of a food mixer. Add the sugar, spice, egg, vanilla extract and soft butter then beat together at a slow speed until well mixed. Add in the nuts and the mashed bananas and mix again to combine. Pour mixture into a lined 2lb Loaf Tin (for handiness use a parchment liner) and top with a few whole pecans or walnuts. Place in the oven and bake for about 50 minutes until golden brown. Leave to cool on a wire rack then dust with sifted icing sugar when cooled.