Michelle Darmody: Making good use of mushy bananas
Overripe bananas are not great for eating but can be used in plenty of baking recipes. Some fruit and vegetable shops will gladly give them to you free of charge.
I use them as a substitute for sugar in some recipes as they have a lot of natural sweetness. As I often say if something tastes sweet it has sugar in it but it may have a better, easier to digest form of sugar than the more processed types. Catherine in UCC wrote to ask for some recipes free of processed sugar so the first loaf recipe and the muffins are both ‘sugar-free’.
I generally try and sieve the baking powder, in any recipe, as it is not very nice when it has not been mixed properly, particularly if you find a lump of it in a slice of cake. Also the baking powder is what helps the cake to rise. If it is not spread evenly throughout your cake it may turn out lob-sided.
A quick and relatively easy way to grease your loaf tin for the Cardamom and Apricot Cake is to use the tin to melt the butter. Place the measured butter into the tin and place it in the oven while it is heating up. Pour the melted butter into your other cake ingredients and then with a paper-towel spread the butter residue all over the tin. It also saves you using, and dirtying, a saucepan to melt the butter.
Either of the loaf cakes will keep well for a few days in an airtight container, once stored in a cool place.
Sugar free banana bread with cardamom and chopped apricot
Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees and grease a 1lb loaf tin. Line it with some parchment as well if you wish to be extra safe.
Mix the spelt flour, self raising flour, ground almonds and cardamom together. Sieve in the baking powder and stir everything well.
Mix the melted butter, vanilla, egg and milk together. Mix these with the mashed banana and add them all to the dry ingredients. Combine completely until a smooth batter is formed.
Scoop the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 50 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin for ten minutes and then transfer onto a wire rack.
Dark chocolate chip and hazelnut loaf
Pre heat your oven to 180 degrees and grease a 2lb loaf tin. Line it with some parchment as well if you wish to be extra safe.
Rub the butter into the flour until it looks similar to rough breadcrumbs.
Add the sugar, hazelnuts and chocolate chips and mix everything together well.
Add in the eggs and mashed banana and beat all of the ingredients thoroughly.
Pour the mixture into your tin and spread it evenly on top. Lay the two lengths of banana on top of the cake, they will sink slightly as the cake rising around them.
Bake for an hour and a half, or until a skewer comes out clean of cake batter. The chocolate will have melted so may mark the skewer but discount this as long as the batter is baked through.
Cool in the tin for about 15 minutes before removing and placing the loaf onto a wire rack.
Black sesame and banana muffins
Preheat your oven to 170 degrees and place 12 bun cases into a bun tin.
Mix the mashed banana with the egg, milk and melted butter.
In another bowl mix the flour and oats and sieve in the baking powder and ginger. Stir these well then stir in the sesame seeds.
Stir the two mixes together until completely combined. Spoon the mixture into the bun cases. It will be a little runny but that is OK. You can sprinkle them with more sesame seeds or some oats if you wish.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until risen and a skewer comes out clean. Drizzle some honey on each one when they are still warm. This step is optional, if you prefer them with lower sugar they will be nice without the honey.
