Originally meant to be a recipe to use up over ripe bananas - just to make banana bread... until I found some recipes that used dates (which I had in my fridge from, I dunno, October, probably).So I had to use a recipe that used both.
Then I had to find a recipe that didn't use condensed milk, as apparently that's not one of my cupboard staples this week.
I found a date and banana bread that included walnuts. But I don't like walnuts, so I wouldn't have any of those. I've got cashews, would they work?
Ooooh, what's that? Walnuts? Left over from the same recipe as the dates? How fortuitous!
So, that's slightly over ripe bananas, dates and walnuts to be used? And a recipe that requires slightly over ripe bananas, dates and walnuts?
We are a go!
I'll start off by admitting that I butchered the original recipe. And then I added sultanas. Sorry about that...
Banana Date and Walnut (ish) Loaf:
100g butter
100g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
225g self-raising flour
1/2 tsp salt
1tsp baking powder
2 over ripe bananas (about 300g)
100g chopped dates
60g chopped walnuts
50g sultanas
Pre-heat the oven to 180oC
Grease and line a 2lb loaf tin.
Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Add the vanilla and mix well. Incorporate the eggs, one at a time, adding a tablespoon of flour after each one. Mix thoroughly.
Mash the bananas until smooth. Add the banana, sultanas and dates (I'd used dried dates, which I stoned, chopped and very briefly soaked in warm water), stir gently.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into the bowl and mix until just combined.
Pour the mixture into the tin, and bake in the middle of the oven for about and hour and a quarter, or until you can poke it with a stick, and the stick come out clean!
Leave to cool in its tin for 10 minutes, then turn out, peel of the lining paper and cool on a wire rack.
Enjoy, sliced, with butter.
Unless it's horrible. In which case I apologise!
Mmmmm. I've just had a nice warm piece with butter melting on top. It was delicious!!
