Banana Walnut Bread

Banana bread is so easy to make it's criminal. Which is why I'm always aghast whenever I see banana loaves for sale at exhorbitant prices.

The reason why it's usually pricey is because good banana bread is made with real banana, not flavourings. The spidery flecks guarantee a banana party, but to have your own, all you need is one hand (of bananas - haha).

The best banana bread comes from really over-ripe bananas. The ones that have blackened skins and are soggy and mushy inside. The ones you have to force yourself to eat because that's all that's left in the fruit bowl.

But stop! You can put these banana pensioners to much better use. Use your loaf and get them doing cartwheels in a banana walnut loaf. It's too easy.

I hardly ever measure out my mashed banana, I'm usually extra generous with the walnuts, and my banana bread always so moist you don't even need butter.

The trick (as with all cakes) is not to overbake. Use the skewer test and be sure to turn your oven down a few notches if it's fan-forced. If your banana bread does turn out a little dry, well then that's what a thick slab of butter is for, right?



Banana Walnut Bread
(from The Australian Women's Weekly Cakes and Slices Cookbook)

125g butter
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
3/4 cup castor sugar
2 eggs
1 cup mashed banana (I used three large bananas)
3/4 cup self-raising flour
3/4 cup plain flour
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (I think I used about 3/4 cup)

Grease and line two 8cm x 26cm loaf tins (I used non-stick pans and just sprayed canola).

Cream the butter, vanilla essence and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well with each addition.

Add half the banana with half the sifted dry ingredients and half the walnuts. Mix.

Add the remaining banana, sifted dry ingredients and walnuts and combine well.

Spread mixture into prepared loaf tins and bake at 180C for about 45 minutes (I baked mine at 160C in a fan-forced oven for about 40 minutes).

Insert a skewer into the cake and when it comes out clean, remove the loaf from the oven. Allow to stand for five minutes before removing onto a wire rack to cool.

You can serve with butter, but mine was fine to eat on its own.