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Whenever the kids ask me, “What’s your favourite fruit, Mummy?” the answer will always be, Bananas! I’ve always been a fan of bananas – in fact, anything banana – banana sweeties, banana puddings, banana hair products. I currently have a banana shower gel standing in my shower. So it’s really no surprise that one of my favourite bakes from Granny is her Banana Loaf.
It’s another one of those recipes that my Mum can rattle off the top of her head without a second thought – probably because she makes it so much!
Always a popular choice for the mothers that my Mum served at the cafés she worked in, with the reasoning that it’s a healthier choice of snack for the kids asking for sweets. I suppose I can see the logic (fruit = healthy, right?), but given the amount of sugar that also goes in Banana Loaf alongside the 1-of-you-5-a-day bananas, it’s perhaps not the healthiest snack there is.
Let’s just forget healthy for a moment, though, and appreciate how delicious and moist this Banana Loaf is. Compared to lots of other banana bread recipes I’ve tried, this one is pretty straightforward too – why make something more complicated than it needs to be, especially when simple means so good in this instance!
Because it’s so easy, the kids love getting involved in baking it too. My boys love nothing more than finding a slightly brown banana and waiting for it to become overripe, knowing it’ll soon be time to mash it into a Banana Bread batter.
Free-from & Vegan:
Gluten-free: For a gluten-free banana loaf recipe, simply switch out the self-raising flour for gluten-free self-raising flour.
Nut-free: This recipe for banana loaf doesn’t use any nuts, but be sure to double-check your ingredients individually for any hidden nuts.
Vegan: For a vegan banana loaf recipe, simply use a dairy-free margarine instead of butter and a tablespoon of applesauce instead of an egg.
N.B. Any advice or suggestions to make recipes “free-from” or vegan are purely that – suggestions. Please be careful to double-check all ingredients individually, taking extra caution when serving to those with allergies & intolerances.
For more info on common food allergies, please see food.gov.uk | For more info on coeliac disease, please see coeliac.org.uk | For more info on a vegan diet, please see vegansociety.com
Tips for the Best Banana Bread
• The riper your bananas, the better the flavour! I don’t make Banana Loaf nearly as often as I’d like because bananas don’t last long in our house, but brown-spotted, or even completely black, bananas will always give you the best banana loaf.
• Banana loaf can also be frozen. Make in batches, keep it in its grease-proof lining, wrap in tin foil, and freeze for up to a few months.
Thank you to Naomi Seiler for creating the updated photos.
More Fruity Bakes
If you loved this easy Banana Loaf, here are some more of my favourite fruity bake recipes for you to try next:
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Banana Loaf
INGREDIENTS
- 2 Bananas (ripe)
- 140 g Caster Sugar
- 55 g Soft Margarine (or Butter) (at room temperature; plus extra for greasing)
- 1 Free-range Egg (at room temperature; see Egg Size note below)
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 170 g Self-raising Flour (see Self-raising Flour note below)
- ½ tsp Baking Powder
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat your oven to 190°C (170°C for fan-assisted ovens, Gas Mark 5 or 375°F). Grease and line a 2lb (900g) loaf tin with
greaseproof paper . Set aside. - In a large bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Add the sugar, butter/margarine, egg and vanilla extract and mix together until combined.
- Gradually sift in the flour and baking powder, mixing until all combined and streaks of flour remain.
- Pour into your pre-lined loaf tin and smooth into the corners.
- Bake in your preheated oven for 40 minutes, until golden on top and a skewer inserted comes out clean. Leave to cool in the loaf tin before serving in slices.
VIDEO
IMPORTANT NOTE:
All my recipes are developed using a digital scale and the metric system (grams and millilitres). Cup measurements are available as a conversion but these, unfortunately, won’t always be as accurate. For best results, I always recommend baking with a digital scale.
RECIPE NOTES:
Egg Size:
When it comes to eggs, I always buy mixed-weight free-range eggs. Generally, egg size doesn’t make a huge difference in most baking, unless you are using sizes that lean towards the extremes. If you’re unsure which eggs to use, I recommend medium eggs in the UK, which are roughly equivalent to large eggs in the US. That’s what this recipe has been tested with.Self-Raising Flour:
Don’t have self-raising flour? For this recipe, simply whisk together 170g (1⅓ cups) plain flour and 2¼ teaspoons baking powder instead. If you bake regularly, you can also make a larger batch to keep in your baking cupboard. For full instructions, cup conversions and answers to common questions, see my Self-raising Flour Ingredient Guide.Tried this recipe?
Tag @bakingwithgranny or use the hashtag #bakingwithgranny!Originally published in February 2017.
