This is a family favourite and one of those ‘go to’ recipes I make again and again; especially if there are a few overripe bananas in the fruit bowl. It barely lasts a day in our house and is so so easy to make – I’d encourage even the most hesitant would-be baker to give it a try. It’s one of Nigella’s, from her Domestic Goddess book – probably the best book I know for those staple baking recipes everyone looks for.
Makes 8-10 slices | 20 mins prep plus 90 mins cooking
Ingredients
- 100g sultanas
- 50ml whisky, rum or brandy
- 175g plain flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 125g unsalted butter, melted
- 150g golden caster sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 3-4 bananas, very ripe, mashed (about 300g without skin)
- 60g chopped walnuts
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
You will also need…
- a 2lb loaf tin, buttered and lined with greaseproof paper
Method
- Put the sultanas and whatever alcohol you choose to use in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat, cover and leave for up to an hour to allow the sultanas to absorb the liquid. Drain.
- Preheat the oven to 160c (fan), prepare the loaf tin and get started on the rest.
- Sieve the flour, baking powder, bicarb and salt into a medium bowl and combine well.
- In a larger bowl, use a hand held mixer to combine the melted butter and sugar until well blended. Beat in the eggs one at a time and add the mashed bananas, then use a wooden spoon to add the chopped walnuts, drained sultanas and vanilla paste.
- Add the flour mixture a third at a time , stirring well after each addition. Scrape into the prepared loaf tin and bake in the centre of the oven for 90mins but check after 75mins. When it’s ready, a skewer inserted in the centre should come out clean.
- Leave in the tin on a rack to cool before slicing and eating with or without a thick spreading of butter. Yum!
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