Banana Bread

Hi guys!


You might have noticed that I am a big sweets lover... It doesn't always have to be rich, sugary and heavy cakes - a piece of loaf cake or a wholeweat muffin will do the job just as well. This is why I got excited when my sister, who is working in London, UK, as an au-pair this year, introduced me to classic Banana Bread. The combination of sweet cake and fresh fruit is something you just have to love. 


The recipe I have tried is by Cynthia Barcomi. She is originally american, but has been living in Berlin for years now. In Berlin, she owns a coffee roasters and a deli that I visit every day whenever I am in Berlin. I'm not joking. As soon as I am spending a week or only a couple of days in Berlin, I am going there once a day. They offer the best sandwiches, muffins and cakes I can imagine as well as great coffee. I especially like their flavored coffee. Instead of using tons of syrup to your coffee that makes it almost too sweet to stand, they have infused their coffee beans with aromas. Your coffee will have a hint of aroma. 


The recipe I've tried comes from Cynthia's book "I love Baking". As the book is in german, I am trying to translate the recipe for you.


Ingredients:
125g (4 oz; 1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
150g (5.3 oz; 2/3 cup) sugar


2 eggs
1 vanilla bean
4-5 bananas (about 400g; 14 oz); smashed
300g (10 oz; 2 cups) flour 
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
Pinch salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg


60g (2.1 oz) chopped walnuts


Preparation:
1) Preheat the oven to 185°C (365°F). Grease a cake tin and dust with flour.


2) Beat the butter and sugar in a kitchen machine for about two minutes until light and creamy. Add the eggs and the vanilla and beat for another two minutes.


3) Mix in the mashed banana using a wooden spoon. Add the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt, cinnamon powder and nutmeg and stir until just combined. Fold in the walnuts. Spoon the dough into the cake tin. 


4) Bake for 50-60 minutes until cooked when tested with a skewer. Let it rest in the tin for 10 minutes then retrieve it from the tin and leave it to cool on a kitchen rack.


(Copyright ©: Cynthia Barcomi, "I love Baking")


Here is how my bread turned out:

My bread only took 50 minutes to bake, whereas the original recipe suggests 60 minutes baking time. You can vary your banana bread any way you like adding chopped chocolate, macadamia nuts, raisins or other dried fruit or nuts. I added chopped walnuts, but you can omit them. 


Have fun trying this comforting classic and let me know if your efforts bear fruit!