Banana bread is one of the most popular treats to bake as it is not only incredibly delicious but easy to make in no time at all.
Mary Berry’s banana loaf recipe only takes 15 minutes to prepare before it cooks in the oven for one hour.
In her cookbook ‘Simple Cakes’, Mary said: “This is a lovely, moist loaf which really doesn’t need to be buttered. It freezes extremely well. Any bananas left in the fruit bowl are ideal for this cake – the riper they are, the better.”
This sweet loaf also only requires seven simple ingredients to bake, and you likely already have most of the items in your kitchen cupboard.
This is the perfect dessert on a lazy afternoon when you want a basic homemade cake loaf to pair with a cup of tea, but it is also great for picnics or afternoon tea.
Method
To begin, preheat the oven to 180C or Gas Mark 4. Then, lightly grease a loaf tin with butter and line it with baking paper.
Place all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix for two minutes until everything is well blended.
Mary said: “An electric mixer is best for this but of course, you can also beat by hand with a wooden spoon.”
Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and level the surface using a palette knife.
Bake in the oven for one hour until the banana bread is well-risen and golden brown.
Insert a toothpick into the centre of the cake to check if it is ready. If the toothpick comes out clean it is ready to take out of the oven, but if it is still wet with batter it needs longer in the oven.
Once the cake is ready, leave it to cool in the loaf tin for a few minutes, then loosen it with a palette knife, turn the cake out and peel off the baking paper.
Your tasty banana bread is now ready to slice up and serve.
