Banana Nut Loaf

As much as I love bananas I can't bear to eat one that has gone even slightly black. I think this is a hangover of often finding a long forgotten one mushed up in amongst the books in my schoolbag... *shudders*. Instead of confining these tasty treats to the compost box, I made a loaf cake out of them. In baking, the riper the banana the better. At this stage their natural sweetness is at its peak, making them ideal for cakes. I add nuts to my batter, as I love how their woody notes compliment the sweetness of the banana. A warm slice of this with a cup of freshly ground coffee is like a little bit of everyday heaven.

Ingredients 

3 ripe bananas, mashed up

100g unsalted butter, at room temperature

200g plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 eggs

120g caster sugar

100g nuts (I used Brazils, almonds and walnuts) roughly chopped.

1 tbsp honey

1 tsp mixed spice

Pinch of salt

Method

Preheat oven to 160°C and grease a 1lb loaf tin.

Using a wooden spoon, or an electric hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until well combined.

Sift the flour with the salt, baking powder and spice and add this to the egg mixture gradually, until a batter forms.

Using a spoon, stir in the bananas, honey and nuts until evenly distributed.

Place the batter in the loaf tin and bake in the oven for 1hr- 1hr 15 mins, until the cake is golden and feels springy to the touch.

Allow to cool slightly before serving. This keeps well for up to three days in an airtight container.

  

Coconut Macaroons

Not to be confused with the pretty but (kind of) pointless French Macaron, these macaroons are like little moist clouds of deliciousness.

They take mere minutes to whip up and due to their snowball appearance are very apt for this time of year. A welcome respite from mince pies, make these your new Winter treat! 

Ingredients (makes around 8)

2 large egg whites

One drop of vinegar

Pinch of salt

50g ground almonds

80g sugar (granulated is fine) 

250g desiccated coconut

1 tsp vanilla essence

To decorate 

100g milk or dark chocolate 

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees (fan) and grease a baking tray. 

In a large mixing bowl and using an electric hand whisk, whisk the egg whites until frothy.

Add the drop of vinegar and then start to whisk in the sugar (around 20g at a time) until it is all combined and the meringue can form stiff peaks.

Add the vanilla essence, salt, almonds and combine until the mixture is sticky. 

Using slightly damp hands, roll the mixture into around 8 golf ball sized portions.

Place on the greased oven tray and bake for around 18-20 minutes, until the tops of the balls are golden. Allow to cool.

Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie. Using a fork, drizzle the chocolate over the macaroons and allow harden.