BANANA ROOM RECIPES

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4.
  2. Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 1-litre loaf tin with a little butter – I use a folded-up piece of kitchen paper to do this.
  3. In a large bowl, use a wooden spoon to beat the soft butter until creamy.
  4. Crack in the eggs and beat them with the butter. It might look a little lumpy but don’t worry, it will come back together later.
  5. Peel 3 of the bananas, then mash and smush them into the mix with a fork so you’ve got a mixture of smooth and chunky.
  6. Stir in the honey and the apple juice, then use a spatula to fold in the flour and cinnamon, taking care not to over mix.
  7. If using, chop the pecans on a chopping board using the cross-chop method (or you could bash them with a rolling pin), then fold them through the mixture.
  8. Spoon all the mixture into the loaf tin, then peel and slice the remaining banana and poke into the top. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until golden and cooked through. To check if it’s done, stick a cocktail stick or skewer into the middle of the loaf, remove it after 5 seconds and if it comes out clean the loaf’s cooked; if it’s slightly sticky it needs a bit longer.
  9. Allow the loaf to cool slightly, then carefully turn out on to a wire rack to cool completely.
  10. Transfer to a nice plate, cut into slices, then serve. It’s delicious spread with butter, honey, your favourite jam or even chocolate spread. Have fun!

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9x5 inch loaf pans.
• Sift the flour, salt and baking soda into a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together the butter or margarine and sugar until smooth. Stir in the bananas, eggs, and walnuts until well blended. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry mixture, and stir just until blended. Divide the batter evenly between the two loaf pans.
• Bake for 60 to 70 minutes in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted into the crown of the loaf comes out clean. Let the loaves cool in the pans for at least 5 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack, and cool completely. Wrap in aluminum foil to keep in the moisture. Ideally, refrigerate the loaves for 2 hours or more before serving.