I adore banana loaf, not just because is its really easy to make, uses up old bananas and is a very forgiving recipe but because it tastes delicious.

Elsewhere on the blog I have a no added sugar recipe which I’ve been making for years but I was doing my usual root through my larder trying to get a sweet fix and didn’t have everything I needed so decided to adapt it to make the below recipe…

Ingredients

• 100g softened butter or spread, plus a little extra for greasing
• 140g caster sugar
• 1 beaten egg
• 225g self raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 50g any dried fruit- chopped off needed (I have used dried apricots, prunes, dates or mixed dried fruit all with great results)
• 4 very ripe bananas
• 100g chopped pecans (you can use walnuts too)
• 50ml milk
• sprinkling of demerara sugar

Method

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
• Grease a large loaf tin then line the base and sides with greased baking parchment, leaving wings either side to help you lift out later.
• In a bowl, mix together the butter, sugar, milk and egg, then gradually add in flour and baking powder.
• Peel and squidge the bananas, prepare the dried fruit and chop up the pecans, adding everything onto the top of your batter as you go.

• When everything has been added fold the cake mix but do not over-combine
• Pour the cake mix into the tin and bake for 50 minutes then take out and sprinkle demerara sugar –  returning to the oven for a further 10 minutes.
• The cake should be done now – if a skewer comes out clean you are good to go.
• Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack before lifting our of the loaf tin with your baking paper wings.