Honey Banana Loaf

I like to buy a bunch of bananas every week. We love ripe bananas in this house . . .

sliced on top of our rice crispies . . .



sliced and slathered in vanilla custard . . .



eaten out of hand when tiny brown freckles appear on the skin . . .



and allowed to go almost rotten and then baked into lovely cakes, breads and muffins. In fact I often have to hide several out of Todd's radar so that this can occur.

It really annoys Todd sif he thinks that I have let them get so bad. He keeps saying . . . "You better throw those rotten bananas out!" He doesn't understand the worth of an over-ripe banana.



Well . . . . not until he begins to eat the lovely things I bake with them.

Then he totally supports my madness in allowing some of them to turn brown and black . . .



He may not really understand . . . but he's not against reaping their benefits.

And that's ok.



*Honey Banana Loaf*
Makes one 2 pound loaf
Printable Recipe

This lovely loaf might look dark on the outside, but inside it is a light honey brown, moist and redolent of the lovely flavours of banana and honey. Mmmm . . . it's just wonderfully moreish!

8 ounces self raising flour
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
4 ounces butter
8 ounces really ripe banana, peeled and mashed
4 ounces golden caster sugar
the grated zest of one lemon
2 large eggs
6 TBS thick pale honey
To top:
2 TBS honey, gently warmed
3 sugar cubes, crushed

Pre-heat the oven to 160*C/325*F. Grease a 2 pound loaf tin and line with baking paper. Set aside.

Measure the flour into a bowl. Whisk in the nutmeg. Tip in the butter and then rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine dry breadcrumbs.

Stir in the mashed bananas along with the sugar, lemon zest, eggs and honey. Beat well, until evenly mixed. Turn into the prepared pan, level off the top and then place in the heated oven.

Bake for 1 1/4 hours until the cake tests down when I fine skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for several minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to finish cooling. Peel off the paper.

Gently warm the honey in the microwave and then brush the heated honey over the top of the cold loaf. Sprinkle with the crushed sugar cubes. Delicious!