Soft sticky banana bread with a twist

Secret ingredient: white chocolate!

Like many of us, I got through my fair share of banana bread recipes in lockdown but as nice as they were, none of them stuck. This one however, has become a delicious staple in my household and a ‘go to’ when I have friends coming over.

This originated as a drizzle cake recipe from BBC Good Food but I left out the drizzle part and added white chocolate instead. This twist was the result of a compromise because my husband loves dark chocolate in his banana bread. I however, don’t like how it changes the flavour. The white chocolate compliments the banana and adds a pleasant stickiness to this soft, moist cake.

It’s delicious warm out of the oven but it also keeps well for a few days afterward, if it lasts that long! I’ve started baking two and slicing one up to bag and hide in the freezer. The frozen slices (separated by baking paper) defrost really well and can be warmed up in the oven, perfect for surprise visitors and last minute play-dates.

Wait until your bananas are undeniably overripe. We’re not talking about brown spots here, I mean black and just on the right side of squishy. If you see white fuzz you’ve waited too long, the bananas have gone too far! The riper they are, the better the flavour and the sweeter and stickier the cake.

Ingredients:

150g of white chocolate chips (or bite size chunks if using a bar)

140g of soft butter

140g of caster sugar

140g of self raising flour

2 large eggs

2 very ripe bananas

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1 pinch of salt (omit if using salted butter)

Method:

Grease and line a 2lb loaf tin and preheat the oven to 180 degrees (160 fan) or gas mark 4. Peel the bananas and using the back of a fork, mash to a puree and set aside. Beat the butter and sugar together. Add the eggs and if you’re doing this by hand then fold in the flour and baking powder. If you’re using a mixer then you can add the eggs, flour and baking powder all together and this helps prevent the eggs from splitting. Add the mashed banana but don't worry if your smooth cake batter now looks a bit funny. Mix in the white chocolate and pour into the loaf tin. If you find your chocolate sinks to the bottom, try adding half to the mix and then stir in the other half once it’s in the tin. The total baking time is 50 minutes but I like to take a peek after 30 minutes and cover the top with tin foil if it’s browning too quickly. You’ll know it's ready when a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool for a little while in the tin and then transfer to a wire rack and enjoy once cooled.

This recipe features in the latest episode of my podcast, Spring Rituals. Along with creative ideas, tips and tricks for spring cleaning and cultivating a positive mindset.

If you fancy a listen click here.