Banana Bread
Sinead Knight tells us how to make a moist and delicious banana bread - perfect with a cup of tea
Top tip: If you only have yellow bananas, pop them in the fridge over night (in a paper bag for best results) to speed up the blackening process.
Ingredients
- 140g butter (softened) + enough extra to grease a loaf tin
- 140g caster sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 140g self raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 very ripe (black!) bananas
Instructions
- Heat the oven to gas mark 4 / 180 C. Grease a loaf tin with the extra butter and cover it with greaseproof paper leaving a couple of inches overhang to remove the cake later.
- Cream the butter and sugar together until it is light and fluffy.
- Whisk the eggs and vanilla essence in a separate bowl getting as much air in as possible – this is what makes the banana bread extra moist and delicious! When they're bubbly, slowly add to the butter and sugar mixture.
- Sieve in the flour and baking powder slowly, folding it in carefully so you don't knock the air out of the mixture.In a separate bowl, mash the two ripe bananas. You must use over-ripe bananas for this – the more black they are the better the flavour! When nice and mushed up, fold these in to the cake mixture.
- Pour the mixture into the greaseproof paper – lined tin, smoothing out the top of it so it cooks evenly. Pop it in the oven for 45 minutes – 1 hour – cooking times really vary with this recipe depending on your oven. The cake is ready when you insert a skewer or a knife into the middle and it comes out clean. Don't worry if the top of the cake is going a dark brown – it's not burning it's sugary and delicious!
- Let the cake cool in the tin before removing it with the edges of greaseproof paper. Slice into delicious chunks and enjoy.
