We all have that one recipe for banana bread, and this one is mine. Contrary to popular belief, I never took Home Economics in school. Despite an innate love for sewing and cooking, I spent my school days in Business Economics and Biology classes. Two more diverse loves one cannot have, but those were my favorite subjects in school.
The origin of this recipe dates to those school years, to my matric year to be precise. One of the year-end Home Economics tests involved baking banana bread. Fast forward to the end of a grueling 90-minute test, and you have twenty-odd banana breads with generous mates sharing them around. Every single one of those shared morsels of banana deliciousness tasted amazing, leading me to conclude that I just had to have the recipe—it must be foolproof. I quickly jotted down the ingredients in the back of my school diary and memorized the directions.
I've kept that recipe ever since, moving with me across a few countries. On the most recent move back from Uganda, I misplaced it. Sheer angst and an overwhelming sense of loss filled me every time we craved banana bread. I tried my fair share of recipes, but none were the same, and this recipe was sorely missed, especially during lockdown. I kept on thinking, how have I never saved a photo of it?
We moved to Clarens over three years ago, and it was only last month that I found it while sorting through belongings from our corporate careers. Tucked safely among meeting notes in my Moleskine’s back pocket was "my" banana bread recipe. It was the best gift ever. Rediscovering this recipe has led me to source an equally timeless and one-of-a-kind cake dome, perfect for showcasing this beloved treat.
So here goes, may this recipe also bring you joy.
I normally double up on the ingredients for my 23cm loaf pan; on these photos I kept it to the amounts below, so you’ll see the loaf was not that high.
Ingredients;
- 65ml Butter (unsalted/room temperature)
- 100ml Brown Sugar
- 1 Egg (room temperature)
- 125ml Mashed Banana (approximately two bananas)
- 5ml Vanilla Extract
- 5ml Lemon juice
- 250ml Cake Flour
- 1ml Salt
- 2ml Baking soda (Bicarbonate of Soda)
- 15ml Milk
Directions:
You will need two mixing bowls, (used these ones) a handheld or stand mixer and a loaf pan, I use a 23cm loaf pan.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees, place your oven rack in the lower third of your oven, this will ensure that the crust does not brown too quickly.
Grease your loaf pan with butter and set aside.
- In the first bowl whisk together the flour, salt & baking soda.
- In the second bowl cream the butter and brown sugar together with your handheld beater, this will take appr 2 minutes to get to a nice creamy consistency.
- Add the egg, milk, vanilla extract and lemon juice to the creamed butter and beat till smooth.
- Now slowly mix in the mashed banana.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix well till all flour pockets have been incorporated. Don’t over beat just ensure that there are no flour pockets.
- Pour your batter into your loaf pan and gently spread the content to level out.
- Bake for 45 minutes at 180 degrees. The bread is ready if you’ve done a toothpick test and it comes out clean.
- Allow the bread to cool in the tin for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire rack.
It is recommended that you allow the bread to cool completely and serve with a dollop of butter, but my family has very little patience when it comes to any kind of fresh loaf, so we slice and eat immediately with a shot of espresso. Enjoy!