I love bananas but most of my family don’t. That’s why I don’t bake many banana
recipes. I chose this one thinking no
one would know there were bananas lurking but be warned – this tastes very much
of banana.
Sometimes banana bread can be a bit dense and stodgy for my
taste, and what drew me to this recipe was that the finished article looks more
like a tea loaf. I think the lure of
sultanas sold it to me too; any cake or biscuit with sultanas in is instantly
healthy and suitable for breakfast. No
dietician in the land can convince me otherwise!
Remember the golden rule when serving this – it must be
buttered thickly enough so the eater can provide a set of dental records with
every bite!
Because I had 4 over ripe bananas I doubled the recipe and made two loaves. It did result in a lot of banana loaf to eat but it’s versatile stuff – I’m going to toast it for breakfast when it ages and firms up some more, and I’m also tempted to use it for bread and butter pudding.
Ingredients
75g unsalted butter, at room temperature
100g light brown soft sugar
3 tablespoons runny honey
2 eggs
2 ripe bananas - peeled, destringed and mashed
225g self raising flour
1 teaspoon mixed spice
¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
¼ teaspoon salt
225g sultanas or raisins – I used a mix of the two
To serve: butter
75g unsalted butter, at room temperature
100g light brown soft sugar
3 tablespoons runny honey
2 eggs
2 ripe bananas - peeled, destringed and mashed
225g self raising flour
1 teaspoon mixed spice
¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
¼ teaspoon salt
225g sultanas or raisins – I used a mix of the two
To serve: butter
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan oven 160°C/350°F/gas mark 4.
Line a 900g (2lb) loaf tin with a paper liner.
Beat together the butter and sugar until lighter and smooth –
it won’t go fluffy because of the brown sugar and the ratio of ingredients.
Beat in the honey, eggs and bananas. At this point it will look pretty unsavoury
so don’t panic!
Add the flour, spice, bicarbonate of soda, salt and dried
fruit and stir until well combined.
Spoon into the prepared tin and level the surface.
Bake for approximately 1 hour or until a skewer inserted
into the middle comes out clean.
Leave to cool in the tin for about 30 minutes before
de-tinning and leaving to cool completely on a wire rack.
Serve in thick slices, generously buttered. When (if?) it reaches a few days old it can
be toasted as a lovely breakfast treat!
Bask in the glory of the wonderful thing you have created.
Eat.
18 comments:
this fruit loaf look amazing!!
I bookmarked!
Banana loaf cake can be a bit dull but I really like the addition of fruit to take it to another level. I find the blacker the bananas the lighter the cake.
Marvellous!
I love banana bakes and the addition of the fruit makes it sound scrumptious.
This looks lovely! It would make a lovely change from the usual recipe. I'll give it a try.
This looks delicious, almost like a tea cake, only the moistness is from the banana instead of tea. Wil have to try this
Looks amazingly good - but I must admit that I don't like cakes that taste obviously of banana. :)
I loved your butter comment. Made me laugh, it did.
Love bananas, we get through tons in our house. Usually in smoothies or 'in the fruit' though. They are incredibly good for you.
I have a feeling I use exactly the same banana bread recipe! It makes a fantastic loaf and has been a favourite for quite a few years. Let me know if you turn it into a bread and butter pudding. I'd like to know how that turns out :)
I love banana bread! We always butter it too - as thickly as is possible without seeming obnoxiously gluttonous! I like the look of the sultanas in the cake, I've never tried that before.
This looks absolutely lush, and definitely breakfast fodder.
It's so nice to find twists on the standard banana bread recipes, this sounds perfect!
I once followed dan Lepard's suggestion of caramelising the banana before adding them to a banana loaf but to be honest it was all a bit faffy- sometimes a good old fashioned tea loaf hits the spot perfectly!
Totally agree that banana bread must be eaten with slatherings of butter!! Yours looks yum!
I love the pic where it is slathered in butter! The perfect way to enjoy it :)
I love banana loaf or teabread, and adding fruit make it even more delicious - a great idea.
Like you, I love bananas in cooking but my OH hates them. I have been known to make loaves that he's eaten, but maybe this one won't get through!
Now that really does look like a tea loaf - I have bananas, I'm bookmarking now.
I just made banana bread last weekend too for less appreciative audience - posted recipe today. This looks delish to me, and I agree with the buttering part - yum!
This sounds wonderful! I've only ever had banana bread with walnuts and/or chocolate but I love the addition of more fruit. Great excuse to for a "healthy" breakfast with lots of butter! :)
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