Hummingbird Bakery Banana Loaf

Makes 8-10 slices

Ingredients

• 270g soft light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 200g peeled bananas, mashed
• 280g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 140g unsalted butter, melted

Grease a 23x13cm loaf tin and dust with flour. Preheat the oven to 170C / 325F / GM3


Put the sugar and eggs in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) and beat until well incorporated. Beat in the mashed bananas.


Add the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and ginger to the sugar mixture. Mix it thoroughly until all the dry ingredients have been incorporated into the egg mixture. Pour in the melted butter and beat until all the ingredients ar well mixed. 


Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and smooth over with a palette knife. Bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour or until firm to the touch and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Leave the cake to cool slightly in the tin before turning out to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. 

Hmm - not overly impressed with this one. Needless to say, it was polished off pretty darn quick, but at the same time a bit cinnamon & gingery for me. Nice, but not sure if I will make it again. I think I prefer banana cake with my black 'nanas.

Mustard Toad in the Hole

I've always loved toad in the hole, but never quite managed to get it right. The batter always goes too crunchy, or there doesnt seem enough batter.... just had never mastered it. I had a packet of sausages in the fridge which needed eating, and after doing a low-carb diet for a while, the last thing I wanted was them in all their sausagey glory, and wanted to disguise them as something delicious, so I checked out the BBC Good Food site for inspiration, and came across this recipe for Mustard Toad in the Hole.

  Serves 4 

Ingredients

• 8 sausages
• 2 onions , cut into wedges
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 150g plain flour
• 2 tsp English mustard powder
• 2 eggs
• 300ml milk 

Method 

Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Put the sausages and onion wedges in an ovenproof baking dish. Drizzle over 2 tbsp oil, season then cook for 20 minutes until everything is browned a little.   

While the sausages are cooking, put the flour and mustard powder in a bowl and season. Gradually whisk in the eggs and milk to make a batter. Pour into the hot dish with the sausages then cook for another 30-40 minutes until crisp and golden. [I did them for 30mins in my oven as it tends to get quite hot and found it the perfect amount of time]. 

I can honestly say that this is the nicest toad in the hole I have ever had the pleasure of eating. Absolutely gorgeous and went down a treat with the Little Man too. I shall definitely be adding this on to my rosta. So simple, yet so delicious 5/5.