Recipe details
Ingredients
- 300g plain flour
- 300g caster sugar
- 150g softened butter
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 ripe bananas, mashed
- 2 beaten eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 150g chocolate chips
- 50g toasted chopped hazelnuts
- Pinch of salt
For the icing:
- 2-3 tbsp icing sugar
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 water
Instructions
- Pre heat the oven to 180ºc and grease the tin cavaties. Put to one side.
- In a large mixing bowl add the baking powder, flour and salt. Put to one side.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the butter, sugar, egg, mashed banana and vanilla and mix until fully combined. Fold in the chocolate chips and nuts and make sure they are evenly distributed throughout the batter.
- Pour into the dry mix and fold in until there is no sign of dry flour. Don’t over mix.
- Divide the mix evenly in the prepared tray, I find piping it in can be a lot neater and easier to measure. Use a skewer to drag a line through the top of each loaf and bake for 20-25 minutes. Check on them at 20 minutes, if a skewer comes out clean they are ready. If not leave for another 5 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing from the tray and leaving to cool completely.
- For the icing, add the icing sugar to a small bowl and add the vanilla and half of the water. Mix well until you have a thin drizzle consistency. If it is still a bit thick add a little more of the water. Drizzle a small amount over the top of each loaf and enjoy!
What tin should I use to bake mini loaf cakes?
This recipe makes the perfect amount to fill the loose bottomed mini loaf pan from Lakeland, but you could also make muffin tin sized and shaped ones so you don't need to invest in a new pan if you don't have a mini loaf tin. Having said that, they are a great accessory to have, fairly cheap, and I find it quick and easy to rustle up a batch of mini loaf cakes for lunch boxes and after school snacks.
Best types of bananas to use for Banana Bread
When making banana bread, the type and ripeness of bananas you use can significantly impact the flavour and texture. Overripe bananas, with skins that are spotted or mostly brown, are ideal. Their natural sugars are fully developed, making the bananas sweeter and softer, which helps them blend smoothly into the batter. Perfectly ripe yellow bananas are also great too.
Green or unripe bananas are one to avoid for several reasons. Firstly, they lack the flavour and sweetness of a ripe banana, which is pretty essential for a cake, and essential for the taste of banana bread. They also lack moisture, with a drier and more starchier texture, which in turns means your banana bread isn't as soft and moist as it could be.
