When we were on holiday last year, some friends came over to our villa for a barbecue and brought this delicious cake with them, still warm from the oven. It's a great way to use overripe bananas as they give the best flavour.
What can I say about banana bread? It's soft, delicious, easy to make, and simply a perfect cake!
Last Friday, I found myself at home, realizing it had been a while since I last baked or cooked something. I decided to flip through Mary Berry's Foolproof Cooking cookbook and stumbled upon her recipe for "Holiday Banana Cake" (though, depending on your perspective, some might call it a loaf since it's baked in a loaf tin). The recipe caught my eye because it felt like the perfect cozy bake for a cold, rainy day.
As you can see from the pictures, I may have left mine in the oven just a bit too long, but I actually enjoy a little extra crispness. Regardless, it still turned out delicious!
Ingredients:125ml sunflower oil
200g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
175g plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 eggs, beaten
3 small ripe bananas, peeled and mashed (about 300g)
Method:
1. You will need a 900g loaf tin. Preheat the oven to 180℃/160℃ fan/Gas 4, then grease the tin with oil and line the base with a strip of baking paper.
2. Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and, either by hand or using an electric hand whisk, beat together for 1 minute. Spoon into the prepared tin and level the top.
3. Bake in the oven for about an hour until lightly golden on top, springy to the touch and coming away from the sides of the tin.
4. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then remove and leave to cool on a wire rack. Cut into slices and serve plain or spread with butter.
Tips
- Overripe bananas make the best cake - so leave them to brown or ripen for a few days before making the cake.
- I like a well done loaf - I love the crisp, crunchiness it gets - but just adjust to the time to how you like it.
- Some people like to sprinkle brown sugar on top of the cake before baking that way it get a crunchy top too.
- You could also add chop chips (white, dark or milk) to jazz the loaf up a bit. Although be careful as I find sometimes they sink to the bottom of the cake.
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