Easy Banana Bread Recipe

It was during the first lockdown, way back in March last year, that people started baking banana bread, more than usual.

Banana bread usually gets baked when you look at the fruit bowl and see three overripe bananas … So, instead of throwing them out you can actually make something delicious. It is also so easy to make, in a loaf tin or muffin tin, whatever you fancy.

And the smell while it bakes is just heavenly. Maybe it is also a little bit healthy with all that mashed banana.

I have made many banana loaves in my lifetime, and many people can testify to this. I have tried a few recipes, but end of last year, I found this extremely easy one on a South African (and in Afrikaans) website.

What attracted me to this recipe was that you just mix everything together – so just a one pan mix – and then bake.

Remember the riper the bananas the more intense the flavour.

And, if you feel adventurous why not add some walnuts or choc chips for a change. Also, I usually add some cinnamon or ground nutmeg for some spice.

Banana Bread:

Ingredients:

100 g soft butter

200 ml (175g) castor sugar

2 large eggs

2 or 3 overripe bananas mashed

460 ml (225g) self-raising flour

5ml baking powder

30ml milk

Demera sugar to sprinkle on top

For the icing:

375ml (240g) icing sugar

the pulp from two passion fruit

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180˚C.
Grease the sides and line the base of a loaf tin with baking parchment.
Put all the ingredients, except for the demera sugar, in a bowl and mix for about two minutes until everything is well mixed.
Pour into the prepared tin and sprinkle demera sugar on top.

Bake in the preheated oven for around one hour until a cake tester comes out clean and the cake has a golden brown crackled top.
Leave in the tin for about five minutes before transferring it to a wire rack.
If you want to put the icing on, make it while the bread is still cooling down.
Sieve the icing sugar and add the pulp from the passion fruit. Add just enough water to make the icing a thick paste. Put the bowl on a small saucepan of boiling water and stir until the icing becomes runny. Pour over the bread when it has cooled down.
Happy easy baking!