I have a problem with bananas. The problem is that I buy them, forget about them and then I’m compelled to bake with them. Yeah, I know, the epitome of firstworldproblems.
This started off as a banana loaf cake idea and then the Green & Black’s cocoa fell out of the cupboard (I really should tidy up more) and it seemed worth trying. Then it turned into pantry cake when I started pulling more things out of the press, including cherries and walnuts. The cherries melt a little like dates and led to the tasters asking if there was booze in there. Not this time….
Makes a 1lb loaf. Preheat oven to Gas Mark 4, 180c.
Ingredients
- 2 ripe bananas
- 35g of slightly salted, very soft butter
- 50g demerera sugar
- 50g soft brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 50g walnuts, chopped
- 50g cherries, chopped (the natural ones)
- 50g chopped dark 70% chocolate
- ½ tsp good vanilla extract
- 75g wholemeal flour
- 30g cocoa powder
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ¼ tsp salt
Method
- Mash the bananas and butter together
- Add in the egg, vanilla, sugar, cherries, chopped chocolate and walnuts and mix together
- Sift the flour, cocoa, bicarb and salt together and add into wet ingredients
- Cook in a lined loaf tin for about 45 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean
Improves over a day or two too.
One Million Gold Stars 
I have the same problem with bananas, but I freeze them because otherwise I’d never stop eating cake (even more so that I already do). So now my problem is a freezer full of bananas. Perhaps it’s cake time again…
Ooh, there’s an idea – freezing them never occurred to me. Good tip!
I have an utterly black banana in the fruit bowl. I was thinking muffins tomorrow morning. Or freeze it and defer the problem.
Your cake looks lovely!
Becca, how about a smoothie or two?
Banana muffins are yum, love them. I reckon you could probably bump up the flour in this recipe and adapt it to muffins?
Sounds delicious! Can’t wait to try it, having just cleaned my misbehaving oven – maybe it will try harder not to burn things for me.
Yes, bananas freeze wonderfully well. If you have any black ones in the fruit bowl, just peel , freezer-bag them, and chuck ’em in the freezer. You can also freeze fresh banana: it comes out with the most wonderful icecreamy texture and flavour – a great treat for kids. Sounds implausible, I know, but eating is believing. 🙂