Let me show you one of my favourite recipes to make, it’s my ultimate Walnut Banana Bread recipe. It’s quick and easy to make; perfect for new bakers and baking with children. My family finished the loaf only in a few days, it’s that good.

Okay there are a number of things to point out:

1. The bananas: the blackened bananas left forgotten in the corner of your pantry would be the best because this recipe, it’s because they’re the sweetest and this recipe is not very sweet. So when you see blackened bananas, don’t throw them out – think about this recipe instead! If you don’t have any blackened bananas on hand and don’t want to wait for yours to ripe, you can fasten the process by baking them in a 180C/ 350F oven for around 25-30 minutes.
2. Walnuts: you don’t have to add them if you don’t like them. They can easily be replaced with mini choc chips if desired or leave them out completely!
3. Butter/Oil combination: a lot of other recipes use either just oil or butter. I’ve used both because oil adds moisture and butter adds flavour – we want both!

Ingredients

3 ripe bananas, mashed + 1 for topping

2 eggs

1/4 cup vegetable/neutral oil

1/4 cup butter, melted

2/3 cup brown sugar (this recipe is not too sweet so add more if you prefer a sweet taste)

1 + 1/2 cup plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Method

1. If your bananas are not ripe/blackened, place them on a baking tray and bake at 180C/350F for 25-30 minutes. Leave to cool then mash.
2. In a bowl, combine the mashed bananas, eggs, butter, oil and sugar. Mix well.
3. Into the banana mixture, add flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, pinch of salt and walnuts. Fold until just combined.
4. Pour and level mixture into a lined baking pan. Top with 2 banana halves and sprinkle over with some raw sugar. Bake at 180C / 350F for 55-60 minutes or until when toothpick comes with minimal crumbs attached. If the toothpick is clean, it’s overbaked.