Chocolate Banana Bread

I asked Leigh what sort of cake he would like this week and his only stipulation was that it had to use a loaf tin liner. I came across this in my Great British Baking book. Delicious sample slice eaten today - preparing to eat it with custard tomorrow!!



250g self-raising flour
a good pinch of salt
150g caster sugar
100g unsalted butter, melted and then cooled
2 medium eggs, beaten
250g peeled ripe bananas - I used 2 and a half
75g dark chocolate, chopped
100g walnut pieces

2lb loaf tin

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas 4. Now I usually assume in recipe books that unless stated, the oven temperature is for a non-fan oven. I therefore reduced the temperature to about 160C but found I had to cook it for 10 minutes longer than stated before the skewer came out clean. I shall wait to see whether this makes the cake slightly dry tomorrow, but if I bake it again (very likely!), I shall use the stated temperature and see what happens.

Mix the flour with the salt and sugar in a mixing bowl. Add the melted, cooled butter and the beaten eggs. Roughly mash the bananas with a fork - there should still be some lumpy bits - and add to the bowl. Add the chocolate and walnut pieces and mix all the ingredients together with a wooden spoon until thoroughly combined.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared tin and spread evenly. Bake in the preheated oven for 55 minutes, until the loaf is a good golden brown and a cocktail stick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Leave to cool for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool before slicing. Store in an airtight container.