In our house there always seems to be a couple of sad overripe bananas left in the fruit bowl. The children don’t like them when they’re green and won’t even contemplate eating a banana with ‘black bits’ on. However, it’s a different story when they’re baked into a delicious banana bread!
This is a variation of a recipe I found in a magazine a few years ago and have adapted to suit my family’s tastes (ie no sultanas or apple pieces although these can be added if you wish. I sometimes add some chopped up chocolate which always goes down a treat). It really is very simple and the banana bread tastes wonderful eaten warm straight from the oven or toasted with lashings of butter.
220g plain flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
80g caster sugar
75g brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Combine all of the above in a bowl, make a well in the centre and add:
2 medium eggs
125ml vegetable oil
3 mashed ripe bananas
Pour into a greased 20cm x 10cm loaf tin, sprinkle with brown sugar and bake in a preheated oven at 160c/140c fan/ gas 2 1/2 for 60 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer.