Banana Bread

I have baked this Banana Bread, which actually a cake really, many times ever since I got this book of Nigella ages ago. For those of you who have tried Nigella's recipe would know that this is one delicious banana bread/cake. Most of us have our own favourite recipe when it comes to Banana Cake, and at the moment, this is my favourite.

This is one of the best banana cake (I'll just refer this as a cake!) that I've eaten. The yellow raisins (sultanas), are first boiled for a minute with some rum and left to cool so that the raisins soaked up all that rum and gets all plump and yummy. The raisins are then drained before use. A small amount of walnuts are used, which I did not bother toasting. I use 3 bananas which comes to about 300gm in weight without the skins. The recipe calls for 4 small bananas, the ones I had was medium to large, thought of using 2, but I had three, so I used all three. I just mashed them with a fork, leaving some pieces chunky and some mashed.

The cake bakes up beautifully with a lovely crust, mine was done in exactly an hour.

Look at the plump raisins and the chunky bananas with bits of walnuts. The raisins are really nice, plump and juicy with a slight crunch when you bite into it, and the fragrance of the rum really came through, yummy! Of course, the bananas are delightful and with the nutty walnuts, simply delicious!

The texture of the cake is really moist, soft and "banana-ey"! This cake was gone in no time! Give it a try, especially if you are a fan of banana cakes.

Banana Bread
(adapted from "How To Be A Domestic Goddess" by Nigella Lawson)
Makes 8 to 10 slices
scant 1/2 cup golden raisins
6 tablespoons or 3 ounces bourbon or dark rum
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt (I omit this as I use salted butter)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
4 small, very ripe bananas, mashed (I use 300gm, without skins)
1/4 cup chopped walnut
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


9x5-inch loaf pan, buttered and floured or with a paper insert


Put the golden raisins and rum or bourbon in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat, cover, and leave for an hour if you can, or until the raisins have absorbed most of the liquid, then drain.
Preheat the oven to 325F and get started on the rest. Put the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium-sized bowl, and using your hands or a wooden spoon, combine well. 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 raisins, and vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture, a third at a time, stirring well after each bit. Scrape into the loaf pan and bake in the middle of the oven for 1 to 1-1/4 hours. When its ready, an inserted toothpick or fine skewer should come out clean. Leave in the pan on a rack to cool, and eat thickly or thinly sliced, as you prefer.

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I'm linking this post to Cook Like A Star, All-Stars Anniversary Party, hosted by Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids, Mich of Piece of Cake and Joyce of Kitchen Flavours.

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All-Stars Anniversary Party featured chefs :  Ina Garten, Jamie Oliver, Nigella Lawson, Curtis Stone, Ree Drummond, Bill Granger, Masterchefs, Martha Stewart, Delia Smith, Donna Hay

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From 1st March to 30th April!

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Cook-Your-Books #10 hosted by Kitchen Flavours