Ah, that banana bread! The one bake I truly believe must be good for me or at least count towards some of my daily fruit & beg consumption. 

I’ve been making banana bread for as long as I can remember and yet each time I do I end up adding something different and then not remembering what I did previously to make it taste so damn good. To resolve my dilemma, I’m leaving the recipe here to share with you fine people! Banana bread, in my opinion, should be slightly dense, golden in colour and with a hint of cinnamon to balance the exploding flavour of banana – though the texture is always somewhat cake over bread. This is just how I like it, but the addition of nuts such as chopped walnuts also works a treat and you can also swap 50g of the golden caster sugar for light brown sugar to give it a slight caramel taste too. 

Whilst banana bread is fabulous on its own and how I usually make it when I have nothing better to do on a Sunday, I’ve added some delicious maple buttercream for an extra treat. This was because I knew friends were coming over and often the theme is ‘the sweeter the better’. 

If you’re looking for something quick, easy and super tasty this is definitely a recipe for you. Why not also check out my  ‘bananas about baking’ post for more banana inspired treats. 

Ingredients (makes one 2lb loaf cake, serving 8-10):

• 100g unsalted butter, at room temp
• 150g golden caster sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 225g Homepride self raising flour
• 2 large ripened bananas
• 2tsp baking powder
• 2tbsp milk (if needed to losen the mixture)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 50g crushed walnuts (optional)

For the maple buttercream:

• 80g unsalted butter (or 60g Moose Maple Butter)
• 250g icing sugar
• 40ml maple syrup
• 1tbsp milk (if needed)

Method: 

1. Grease a 2lb loaf tin and preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Mash the bananas into a bowl with a metal spoon and set aside
2. Cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy then add the eggs one at a time, mixing until well combined. Fold in the sifted flour, cinnamon and baking powder to the egg mixture and then add the mashed banana, mixing for a final time so all the ingredients has come together. Add the milk if needed to loosen the mixture slightly and the chopped walnuts at this stage if using
3. Pour the cake mixture into the greased loaf tin and place into the oven for 45 minutes or until baked all the way through. Pay close attention to the middle as this will take the longest to bake and there’s nothing more disappointing than a sunken loaf cake
4. Once baked through (test with a sharp knife/cake tester and give it a little wobble to ensure the cake isn’t moving in the middle) remove from the oven and after 20 minutes, remove the loaf from the tin and place on a wire rack to cool
5. As it cools, make the buttercream by creaming your butter with an electric whisk, then gradually add the icing sugar, whisking continuously. It will be quite stiff until you add the maple syrup and mix again – add 1-2 tbsps of milk if you think it needs it
6. As soon as you have a smooth, pale gold buttercream, add a generous layer to the cooled banana loaf and sprinkle with some cinnamon or chopped nuts or just devour it straight away

Enjoy! Nic x

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