A classic banana loaf is a real crowd pleaser and this cake is great to make if you’ve got some overripe bananas to use. Other dried fruit or nuts can be added depending on what you fancy and it’s perfect to enjoy with a cup of tea mid afternoon. It will keep in foil for up to a week as well.

Ingredients: (makes one loaf)

100g soft butter (and a little for greasing)

140g caster sugar

140g plain flour

1 egg – beaten

2 tsp baking powder

1 tbsp Vanilla essence

4 ripe bananas

85g pecans

35g dark choc chips

Method

– Preheat the oven to about 180 degrees and grease a loaf tin with a small amount of butter ready for the mixture.

– Begin by mixing together the sugar, butter and egg before slowly stirring in the flour and baking powder.

– Next, mash the bananas in a separate bowl before adding it to the main mixture along with the vanilla essence, pecans and chocolate chips before stirring well.

– Pour the mixture into the tin (it was at this point that more mixture went into my mouth rather than the actual tin, whoops!) and bake for about an hour. Test that the cake is ready by putting a knife or a skewer in and if it comes out clean then the cake is done.

– Leave to cool on a wire rack before slicing and then keep fresh in foil.