Banana Bread (Curtis Stone)

I always get really ecstatic whenever I see over-ripe bananas on my kitchen counter. Actually, I always wish that they brown quick so that we can't eat them up in time, and I get to use them to bake. Over-ripe bananas are good for baking, they make the cakes or muffins or bread extra sweet and moist. This is a recipe by the take-home-chef, Curtis Stone. I decided to make my banana bread using his recipe, cos a blogger whom I followed commented that this is a keeper recipe, it results in super moist and soft banana bread.

 

 

 

 

Recipe (adapted from here)

 

1.5 cups all-purpose flour (I used superfine flour)
1 teaspoon baking soda (I changed to baking powder, cos I don't like the taste of baking soda esp. in my non-sweetened cakes)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (I used all-spice powder)
1/4 teaspoon salt (I used pinch of salt)
2 large eggs
1 ¼ cups sugar (I only put in 1tbsp sugar)
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used grapeseed oil)
1 ½ cups coarsely mashed very ripe bananas (3 large)
2 tablespoons yogurt (no yogurt available, so I just used leftover apple puree)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups walnuts, toasted and chopped (I omitted this, cos the lil' fella is not eating nuts yet)

 

*I never followed a recipe 100%, never ever, cos I seldom have everything on the ingredient list available all at the same time, and I always just make do with whatever I have available. I bake for myself and the lil' fella (who's turning one this month), the reason why I usually omit or cut down by a lot the sugar on the ingredient list. As a result, my cakes or muffins are only nice and soft and moist when fresh out of the oven. When kept overnight, it will turn dry. But I heat them up in the microwave and serve with cold apricot jam (for myself), still yummy :)

 

If you're baking this for kids and adults, I would suggest that you follow the original recipe, or at least put back in some sugar. Hahaaa.. me and the lil' fella has quite bland tastebud.

 

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 175°C (fan forced). Butter 1 (9- by 5- by 3-inch) metal loaf pan, then dust with flour, knocking out excess.*I should have covered my batter w. aluminium foil cos my cake turned out to be quite brown on top, but it was only just done inside.
Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt into a bowl.
Beat together eggs and sugar in bowl of electric mixer at medium-high speed until very thick and pale and mixture forms a ribbon when beater is lifted, about 10 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add oil in a slow stream, mixing, then mix in bananas, apple puree, and vanilla extract. Remove bowl from mixer and fold in flour mixture gently but thoroughly.
Pour the batter into the loaf pan, spreading evenly. I topped with sliced banana for decoration.
Bake in middle of oven until golden brown and a wooden pick or skewer comes out clean, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. (I only baked for 50min)
Cool loaf in pan on a rack 10 minutes, then turn out onto rack. Turn loaf right side up and cool completely.

This banana loaf cake (or banana bread) is okay for freezing. I stored half the loaf in the freezer after cooled and sliced, so that we can have something for breakfast when we don't have anything available to eat.