Banana and Almond Loaf

Have you ever wondered what to do with overripe and blackened bananas? Or maybe you're like me and you're not really a fan of the flavour of blackening bananas and want a recipe that will use up the bananas without highlighting the overripe flavours. If you don't want to make this straight away, you can peel the bananas and put them into the freezer for a few weeks then let them defrost in the fridge overnight before using.

I based this recipe on the basic pound cake ratio of equal parts butter, sugar and flour. It's incredibly easy to make and vary to your own preferences and doesn't require any special equipment. To make this a little more fancy than your conventional banana bread, I added some lemon zest and juice, and sliced almonds scattered on top for contrasting texture. I also reduced the amount of sugar as bananas convert their carbohydrates to sugars when they ripen which is why ripe bananas are more sweet than underripe ones.

Banana & Almond Loaf

200 g butter, at room temperature

120 g sugar

2 overripe bananas, peeled

1 lemon, zest and juice

200 g flour

a small handful of sliced almonds

Beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until it becomes lighter in colour and creamy. You can use a whisk or a wooden spoon for this job.

Break up the bananas and mix them into the butter with the lemon zest and juice.

Fold through the flour gently and stir until just combined.

Line a loaf tin with some baking paper and leave the excess hanging out to make it easy to take out afterwards.

Transfer the batter into the tin and use a spoon to smooth the top.

Sprinkle over the sliced almonds and bake in the oven for 40 minutes at 170 degrees Celsius.

Turn the tin around after 20 minutes to make sure it cooks evenly.

When it's done, remove from the oven and allow it to cool for a while, then use the baking paper hanging out to pull the loaf out of the tin.

Cathy Xiao Chen