We are going through a pandemic and now that people have more time at home to bake and what not, I decided to bake too. I jumped on the banana bread bandwagon to make my own, a banana and chocolate version. I've actually made this recipe using Nutella before and it came out real nice (the recipe is somewhere in the blog) but since I have no Nutella at home I decided to use what I do have, chocolate chips.
Because I am not big on sugar I always reduce the amount of sugar in my cake recipes by at least half and to be honest, it works for me. With this recipe you certainly don't need loads of sugar because the bananas are already quite sweet. The best part of baking through is the warm smell that fills your house.... As is with almost all cakes, this is a perfect teatime snack.
Makes 1 loaf
250 grams self raising flour
100 grams castor sugar
200 grams butter, cut into cubes
1 tbs vanilla essence
3 large eggs
4 overripe bananas, mushed
1/2 cup chocolate chips or chunks
Start by preheating your oven to 180°C and then lining your loaf tin with baking parchment or give it the butter and flour treatment.
In one bowl, add your butter, sugar and vanilla and whisk it until your butter takes on a pale yellow colour.
Next, add in the eggs one by one and gently whisk by hand or using the lowest setting of your mixer. Once all the eggs are in, add the bananas and chocolate chips. Mix well.
The last thing to go in is the flour. At this point, no more whisking, just use a spatula to gradually fold in the flour. You should have a wet batter that's like a super thick porridge. If the dough is dry, you will end up with a rather dry cake which is why it is important to gradually add the flour.
If you feel the dough is too light, you can still add flour bit by bit.
Once the dough is ready, pour it in to your lined baking tin and place it in the middle shelf of the oven for 40 minutes or until the top is a nice golden brown colour.
To check the doneness of the cake, you can poke it at the centre with a skewer or toothpick and if it comes out clean then the cake is done.
Let it cool before serving it with a nice cuppa