Banana Loaf

One tip that every mother has given me for the arrival of mini-Flo is to bake and cook meals to put into the freezer.  Flo thinks I'm a bit crazy pouring over recipe books looking for whatever I can make and freeze but it makes sense.  I hate to admit it but I think my time will be limited for the next few months and cooking, not my favourite pastime (baking is not cooking) is not high on my priority list.

The first recipe I pulled out is a tried a true recipe from my Nanna - Banana Loaf.  When I was home from Uni, holed up in my Grandparent's house pre-exams, I would be constantly in and out of the cupboards, fridge and freezer.  The freezer always held the usual wonders of frozen veges and ice cream but for as long as I can remember was a treasure trove of frozen casserole, stews, soups and always a loaf of some description.  Taking the lead from my Nanna, I am beginning my collection.

NB:  In my excitement to make and freeze this little beauty, I jumped the gun a bit and froze it without taking any photos.  Take it from me, it looked like any other loaf.  Delicious!

Tip from me:  If you find that your bananas are ripening too quickly, you can freeze them for future baking.  The outsides of the bananas when frozen are black.  Don't let this put you off.  They are perfect for baking once defrosted. If you like banana ice cream, it is worth trying to peel a frozen banana and eat it while frozen (it doesn't have to be overripe for this).  This was an after-school favourite for me and a good friend when we were at intermediate school.



Banana Loaf:


Ingredients:

4 ozs butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 mashed ripe bananas (the ones that look all brown on the outside but are actually my favourite to eat. Sweet and tasty).
1/2 tsp BP
1 3/4 cups flour
4 Tbl warm milk
1 tsp baking soda (BS)

Method:
Preheat oven to 350F / 175 C
Line a standard loaf tin with baking paper.

1. Cream butter and sugar.
2. Add eggs.  Mix.
3. Add bananas. Mix.
4. Dissolve BS in the warm milk (this will fluff up).  Fold into wet mixture.
5.  Add sifted ingredients to wet mixture.  Stir until just combined.
6. Pour batter into a pre-prepared loaf tin.

Bake loaf for 40 - 45mins until a skewer inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean.

For freezing:  Once cake is room temperature. Remove from the tin and sit it on a rack or the bottom of the overturned loaf tin to cool.  Once completely cold, wrap the baking paper around the loaf, then cover the loaf securely in tin foil.  Place this into a plastic freezer bag, mark the bag with the contents and date, and seal.  I have no idea how long this can stay frozen but I'd estimate about 6 months.