Banana Bread

I admit, I'm quite frugal and refuse to throw good food away. The odd bit I do throw, usually because it has gone past edible point, always gets composted. After writing my Love Food Hate Waste post last year I've become better at reducing waste and the campaign is now getting people to think about new habits be it using leftovers or getting better at portion control.

Bananas are an essential fruit in this house. My breakfast is incomplete without one. Very rarely are they left in the fruit bowl, but with us being away last weekend we returned to 4 bananas looking a bit worse for ware. Not one to throw away food I set about making some banana bread.

Another reason for baking a cake is that while in Axminster last weekend Hubby treated me to a set of Emma Bridgewater cake tins and I had to christen them. No more battered Roses tins for me. Actually come to think of it the last time I saw one of my Roses tins it was being used to try and save a poorly goldfish in the staffroom. Hmm I'll now stick to my new tins and not let goldfish/stick insects be put in them!

I use Nigella's Banana bread recipe. It's produces a perfect light and fluffy cake and the recipe doesn't need changing in any way. You can also make it be replacing a bit of the flour with cocoa which is just as delicious. The walnuts give a nice texture to the loaf. As you can tell by the picture there isn't much of it left! If you don't have any very ripe bananas, peel them, cut them and blast them in the microwave for a few seconds until they have begun to soften. The one thing I would say is that if you use a mixer to make cakes by all means use it up to stage 2 then after that do it by hand or the walnuts get crushed.

Banana Bread
from Nigella - How to be a Domestic Goddess
makes 1 2lb loaf

100g sultanas
75ml rum
125g unsalted butter, melted
150g granulated sugar
2 eggs
4 small very ripe bananas, mashed
175g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
60g walnuts, chopped
1 tsp vanilla extract

1) In a small saucepan gently heat the rum and sultanas until boiling then take off the heat and cover. Leave for an hour or so to allow the sultanas to soak up the rum.

2)Preheat oven to 170oc. Beat together the butter and sugar then the eggs and bananas.

3) Stir in vanilla, walnuts and drained sultanas then slowly sift in the flour, baking powder, bicarb and salt. Fold until combined. Pour into a lined 2lb loaf time and bake for 1 - 1 1/4 hours. Allow to cool in tin before slicing.

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