Banana Bread - 2 - $ - V

Just when you thought those bananas in the fruit bowl were too brown for eating...along comes this banana bread recipe and saves them from the rubbish bin.

This loaf can be eaten hot, cold or the absolute ultimate: slicing it, toasting it and covering it in cream cheese and honey.

Ingredients

3 large, very ripe bananas (or 4-5 little ones), mashed
125gms butter, softened
1 1/3 cups of brown sugar, firmly packed
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1tsp vanilla essence
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/4 cup thickened cream
3/4 cup wholemeal plain flour
3/4 cup white plain flour
1tsp salt

Preheat oven to 180C degrees.
Put the bicarb in the cream and stir well to dissolve it. Set aside.
Use an electric beater to cream the butter and sugar.
Add the eggs and vanilla essence and mix well.
Add the cream, with the now dissolved bicarb, and mix well.
Sift in the two kinds of flour and the salt and mix well.
Add the bananas and mix well.
Place the batter in a well greased and lined loaf tin. As this recipe makes a really heavy loaf, it's a good idea to leave the baking paper long enough to hang over the sides of the tin so you can pull the bread out after it cools. Don't have them too long though, or they might catch fire in the oven! Trim them with some kitchen scissors (see picture below).


Bake for 1 hour and then allow to cool in the tin for at least 15 minutes before you remove it. Either serve immediately or cool on a wire rack for eating later.

Enjoy!