If you prefer a cakier style of banana bread, then this recipe is perfect for you. It is so moist, crumbly and fills the whole kitchen with that delicious baked banana smell. The browner the bananas the better, so leave them to get as ripe as possible. You can fill it with any crunchy nuts and chocolate chunks you like.
This recipe is for a traybake, but it can be made as a regular loaf tin or round cake if you half the recipe. The sauce is also an additional extra, if you want to up your banana bread game and serve it as a warm dessert or pudding, as it makes a rich sweet toffee sauce to serve along the side (and which would also be great to serve with ice cream). But if you would prefer the cake on its own, leave out the sauce and I promise you will not be disappointed!
Makes x1 20x25cm tray bake. Half the recipe for a standard loaf tin.
INGREDIENTS
4 eggs
180g soft brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla paste
400g ripe bananas (3-4)
220g unsalted butter, softened
250g self-raising flour
½ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
100g dark chocolate/pecans/walnuts, roughly chopped
Butterscotch Sauce:
150g light brown sugar
55g butter
150ml double cream
1 tsp sea salt flakes
METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 3. Grease and line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Whisk the butter and sugar in a bowl for 3-5 minutes until pale and fluffy.
3. Lightly beat the eggs in a separate bowl and add them in slowly, whisking well between each addition.
4. In a small bowl, mash the bananas well with a fork or potato masher and add to the mix along with the flour, salt and ground cinnamon. Fold in to the cake batter until well combined.
5. Stir through any chopped nuts or chocolate chips if using.
6. Pour into prepared baking tin and bake for 25-30 minutes until set, risen and golden all over. If using a loaf tin, the banana bread may need 35-40 minutes to cook all the way through.
7. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce by placing all the ingredients in a small saucepan and melting over a low heat. Give it a gentle stir to combine to a smooth golden sauce. Bring to the boil for 2 minutes until the sugar is completely dissolved.
8. Drizzle some of the sauce all over the surface of the banana cake when it is still warm, then cut up and serve with more sauce on the side.