This is best made with over-ripe bananas.
Makes 1 loaf
Preparation 25 minutes
Cooking 50 minutes
INGREDIENTS
¾ cup (165g) Light or Dark Muscovado sugar
1 cup (150g) self-raising flour
¾ teaspoons mixed spice
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 eggs, beaten lightly
¾ cup (2 medium) mashed bananas
90 g butter, melted
125 g (½ cup) light sour cream
½ teaspoon mixed spice (extra)
1 tablespoon Demerara sugar
METHOD
1 Preheat oven to 160’C (140° fan-forced). Grease an 8cm x 22cm (base measurement) loaf pan. Trim baking paper to fit and line the base and long sides.
2 In a large bowl combine Light (or Dark) Muscovado sugar, flour, spice and soda. Combine in a jug eggs, banana, butter and sour cream. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry and mix well. Pour mixture into pan. Combine mixed spice and Billington’s Demerara sugar and sprinkle on top.
3 Bake for about 50 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. The bread is likely to crack on top, but don’t test here as it will not give an accurate result. Remove from oven and cool in pan for 10 minutes. Turn onto wire racks to cool completely.
4 To serve, spread with butter or for a real treat, sprinkle some crème fraiche with golden granulated sugar.
Lyndey’s note: Whenever you have over-ripe bananas, just pop them in the freezer. Thawed out they are perfect for banana bread or muffins. The use of Dark Muscovado gives the banana bread an even more intense, rich and sticky flavour.