Nigella's Banana Bread

It's been a while since I last baked with bananas. You must be thinking, she is mad. She always bakes with bananas. Haha!! You have a point there. I think the moistness of the bananas always add to the baked product. This time, I've decided to bake a nice cake for Chinese New Year. And who else to turn to except for the trusted Nigella Lawson? Her recipes are easy and foolproof. You literally can't go bake wrong with her recipes.

This recipe is from Nigella's How to be a Domestic Goddess. As I wanted it to be purely a banana cake without any added ingredients, I eliminated alot of the ingredients Nigella added. Feel free to add them if you so wish.

Ingredients:

100 grams sultanas

75 ml dark rum (or Bourbon)

175 grams plain flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

½ teaspoon salt

125 grams unsalted butter (melted)

150 grams caster sugar

2 large eggs

4 small very ripe bananas (mashed)

60 grams chopped walnuts

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method:

1. Put the sultanas and rum or bourbon in a smallish saucepan and bring to the boil.
2. Remove from the heat, cover and leave for an hour if you can, or until the sultanas have absorbed most of the liquid, then drain.
3. Preheat the oven to 170ºC/gas mark 3/325ºF 160ºC and get started on the rest. Put the flour, baking powder, bicarb and salt in a medium-sized bowl and, using your hands or a wooden spoon, combine well.
4. In a large bowl, mix the melted butter and sugar and beat until blended. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the mashed bananas. Then, with your wooden spoon, stir in the walnuts, drained sultanas and vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture, a third at a time, stirring well after each bit.
5. Scrape into a loaf tin (23 x 13 x 7cm / 9 x 5 x 3 inches) and bake in the middle of the oven for 1-1¼ hours. When it's ready, an inserted toothpick or fine skewer should come out cleanish. Leave in the tin on a rack to cool, and eat thickly or thinly sliced, as you prefer.

I'm submitting this post to Cook and Celebrate: CNY 2015 organised by Yen from Eat your heart out, Diana from Domestic Goddess Wannabe and Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids. 

I'm also submitting this post to Best Recipes For Everyone Jan & Feb 2015 hosted by Fion of Xuanhom's Mom and co-host Victoria Bakes.

I'm also submitting this post to My Treasured Recipes #5 - Chinese New Year Goodies (Jan/Feb 2015) hosted by Miss B of Everybody eats well in Flanders and co-hosted by Charmaine of Mimi Bakery House.