Banana and Apple Loaf

I got the Tana Ramsey book for myself at Christmas, even though it has meat things in and we are all veggie. I was lured by the homemade Jammy Dodgers recipe. I haven't made those yet but hope to do them very soon. I got put off proper JD's when I watched a kids programme that did a visit to the factory. It really is quite yuk and very offputting!

The first thing I have made is the Banana and Apple Loaf (yes, another banana recipe!) The kids had loads of chocolate and biscuits for Christmas so I hadn't baked anything to give them chance to get through it all but I had complaints from them (which I'm secretly pleased about!) so had to make this in a hurry. In Girls' case complaining consisted of pointing at every tupperware box she saw and screeching. It's nice to be appreciated.

Banana and Apple Loaf
150g light brown sugar
85g butter, softened
2 large eggs, beaten
4 medium bananas, mashed
1 apple, grated (it doesn't say if it's meant to be peeled or not, I peeled mine)
250g self raising flour
1/4 of a tsp fresh nutmeg (I used jar stuff)
1/4 of a teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of salt

• Grease and line a 2lb loaf tin and preheat oven to 180/Gas 4
• Cream together butter, sugar and eggs
• Stir in the mashed banana and apple then sieve in the flour, nutmeg, salt and cinnamon
• Mix well to combine, pour into loaf tin and bake for 40-45 minutes until skewer comes out clean
  
• Remove to a wire rack and cool for 30 minutes. Turn out from tin and continue cooling. Allow to cool completely before cutting into slices.
• Serve. (Yes it really says this in the book, has it's own bullet point and everything. Do we need to be told? If so you really shouldn't be allowed to play with the oven.)

The resulting cake is quite dense, I'd have thought it would take more raising agent than just the self raising flour but it was fine. It smells lovely.

Banana Cake

I know I already did one banana recipe but I happened across this one on the Dan Lepard site and it looked interesting so in the name of research (and to rid myself of the cluster of scary looking bananas under my sink) I gave it a go. It needed a lot of whisking so I was imagining it to be very light but for some reason it sank like the Titanic. Nice eh?My mate Bex - 1 Dan Lepard - 0 It is still perfectly edible, though a little dense and I like the addition of the cinnamon and ginger which I might try adding to the other banana bread recipe.

I will try his other recipes, he looks like a nice bloke with his cute little goatee beard and cheeky smile. Not that I'm easily swayed or anything. *Feels foodie-related crush developing*
And he loves cake. What more could a girl ask for?

Banana Bread

I love this recipe. It is the way all sad, smushy unloved old bananas should end up. We buy a lot of bananas in this family, Girl is addicted to them and can't possibly start the day with any other fruit in her cereal. We have to time the buying of them to enable madam to get the best ones, not too green and not too squashy. Needless to say we don't have that many over-ripe ones anymore unless I intentionally buy too many. The ones I used today have been rescued from my grans house. She has dementia but can still do most things with the added help from carers who visit her morning and evening. Most days she still manages to catch the bus to visit my grandad in the care home where he has been the last 12 years. When she leaves she always takes some bananas from the fruit bowl in the foyer and puts them in her bag, the staff are used to her now and just let her have them. She ends up with loads of them going all brown in her kitchen so I thought I'd recycle these ones into a cake for her.

Banana Bread

50g/2 oz butter
115g/4 oz golden caster sugar
225g/8 oz self raising flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 ripe bananas, mashed
115ml/4 fl oz milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
60g/2 1/2 oz chopped walnuts (or any nuts, sultanas, dried cranberries or blueberries. Also just as good plain)

1. Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4 ~ 350 F~ 180 C
2. Cream the butter and sugar together
3. Stir in the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.
4. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.
   
5. Pour into an oiled loaf tin and bake for 50 minutes.

The best thing about this recipe is it is so simple. I've made it dozens of times now and Bad Things have never Happened. It doesn't stick, burn or commit any other naughty cake crimes and tastes fantastic. Big thanks go to my friend Bex who shared the recipe with me.