Monday, October 18, 2010

No-fuss (and absolutely delicious!) Banana Loaf

I was not really in the mood to bake today but I had 3 over ripe bananas that I didn't want to go to waste. Thought I might as well do something with them.

I actually use the following recipe for my banana cupcakes but this time, I tried loaves instead, just for a bit of change. I also added some chopped pecans and chocolate chips on top to dress it up a little.

It didn't look pretty as a whole loaf...


but when I sliced it...just lovely...


My daughter couldn't stop eating them.  And one of my friends, to whom I shared one loaf, immediately sent me a text message as her family was snacking on the cake.  They loved it so much she wanted to order some...

No kidding.  For something so easy to make (no mixer needed), it's seriously good.  I also love this recipe because the resulting banana cake is really soft and cakey rather than the usual heavy and dense.


Ready to try it?  The recipe yields two large loaves but as cupcakes, would make about 24 to 30.

BANANA LOAF

Ingredients:

3 cups plain flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup vegetable/canola oil
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk *
1 1/2 cups banana puree**
optional: 1/2 to 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
              1/2 cup chocolate chips

*to make homemade buttermilk: In a measuring jug, put 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice, then add enough milk to make 1 cup.  Leave for about 15 minutes until thick and curdled.
**mash about 3 medium-sized over ripe bananas with a fork or in food processor (I prefer it really smooth)

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven at 180 degrees C. Prepare 2 large loaf pans (28cm) by lining bottoms with baking paper. Note: I do not really find greasing the pans necessary.
2. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine sugar and oil. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract.
4. Mix in flour mixture and buttermilk alternately, in three batches, just until combined. Do not overmix.
5. Fold in mashed bananas.
6. Divide batter equally into prepared pans. Top with chopped pecans and chocolate chips, if using.
7. Bake for about 50 minutes or until skewer comes out clean when inserted into cake center.
8. Cool in wire racks before slicing.

Enjoy!

13 comments:

  1. looks great! thanks for sharing your recipe. no pecans in our household though. you can just as easily mash bananas with a fork or a potato masher :)

    I have a Women's Weekly cookbook called "Bake" and it has 2 delightful banana loaves in it. One is light and cakey like yours, the other is heavy and dense (should be with treacle!)

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  2. I baked this last night and at 180 degrees it didn't cook it enough. I turned it up to 280 and it took an additional 40 minutes to cook it through.....but let me tell you it is one good banana bread when it does get done. My question is the 180 degree correct or was it a mistake in typing. I was just checking because this is one recipe I hope to make again. Thank you so much.

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  3. Hello, I am guessing you used 180 degrees FAHRENHEIT, instead of Celsius, as indicated in the recipe. In that case, the right oven temperature would have been 350 degrees F and the banana loaf would have cooked through in about 45 minutes. 280 degrees Celsius would have burned your loaf in a matter of minutes.

    Thanks for trying the recipe out! Just made this myself two days ago. Yum!

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  4. So good. The best banana bread. Cakelike and moist. Also added a bit of grated ginger. Regine

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  5. i tried this recipe my only concern : the nuts and chocolaate chip sunk at the bottom

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  6. Hi Corrine :) thank you for posting ur recipes. :) i can't wait to try this one and your caramel cake recipe! God bless you!

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  7. hello, I love all ur recipes!!! how can i make this recipe as a cupcake

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    Replies
    1. As stated above, this recipe will make 24 to 30 cupcakes. Follow recipe as is but bake in muffin pans for about 25 minutes.

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    2. I have already made this wonderful cake 4 times in less than a month. It is my finicky daughter's favorite cake. She is in college and always asks me to send her/bring her some. Just last night I made her a loaf with walnuts and chocolate chips, and with the remaining half of the batter, I made 4 mini loaves but with nuts only. I just finished eating 1 myself at work. Regine

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  8. This is too sweet for my kids. I can only imagine the amount of sugar going in their bodies as they eat through the cake with 2 cups of sugar! I tried it with just a cup and it is sweet enough to pass in any bakery shop. The ripe bananas would already add to the sweetness so cutting it to half the required amount is ok. I also substituted 1 cup of plain flour to a cup of self raising flour to make it more cake-like in case you would like to make it as a base for decorated birthday cakes. All in all, I like this recipe, only with a little bit of tweaking!

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  9. Hi Corrine
    We love banana bread ,thanks for this recipe it looks good,i'll definitely try this banana loaf.

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  10. ho corinne its me again! an avid baker like u, anyway do u have recipe like brownies,revel bars, etc. can u post it or email me 😁 thanks

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    Replies
    1. Kindly wait for new recipes to be posted on the blog.

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