Ellie's Easy Banana Bread


If your kids are anything like mine, you buy bananas for them to eat and they just end up going black in the fruit bowl.  So this is the best way I know to use up those overripe bananas that would otherwise be chucked in the bin and produces one of the easiest and tastiest banana breads you will ever have.


Ingredients:
2-3 ripe bananas
third of a cup of melted butter
1 egg, beaten
1 cup sugar (I use caster sugar)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 - 1 1/2 cups of plain flour
1 tsp of baking soda


Method
Preheat the oven to 180c/gas mark 4.


Mash the bananas in a bowl then add the melted butter and stir in thoroughly.  Add the beaten egg, vanilla extract and sugar and stir in.  Next add the flour and mix in enough to make quite a thick mix and finally mix in the baking soda.  


Lightly grease a bread tin, or use a silicone bread tin, pour in the mixture and stick in the oven for about an hour.  When finished remove from the oven and test with a skewer.  If the skewer comes out clean the bread is ready, if not put back in the oven for another 5 or 10 minutes.  


Done, told you it was easy.  


You could also make it into a cake by using a round cake tin and when it is finished, use a tin or Carnation toffee, put banana slices on top of that and then a layer of whipped cream on that to make a delicious banoffee cake.  Hey two deserts from one recipe not bad eh.


Enjoy and let me know your feedback xxx

Recipes

Apple & Pecan Croissant Pudding

Ingredients

4 large or 6 medium croissants (about 280-350g total weight)  

1 large red-skinned eating apple (about 175g whole/unprepared weight), such as Royal Gala or Braeburn

2 tsp lemon juice

6 Eggs

125g caster sugar divided

250ml milk

250ml single cream

1 orange

40g pecan nuts

175ml luxury thick toffee or butterscotch sauce  

½ teaspoon vanilla extract 

55g sultanas 

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/Gas 4. Slice croissants from top to bottom into 1 cm slices. Set aside 16 of the largest slices. Cube remaining slices and place in bottom of a suitable deep dish baker. Arrange reserved croissant slices over cubes in an overlapping circular pattern around edge of dish. Halve, core and thinly slice apple, leaving peel on. Toss apple slices in lemon juice to lightly coat all over (to prevent discolouration); tuck apple slices in between croissant slices. 
2. In a bowl whisk together eggs and 85g of the sugar.  Heat the milk and cream in a pan until hot. While continually whisking, slowly add milk mixture to egg mixture until well blended. Carefully pour egg mixture evenly over croissants and apple slices. If necessary, lightly press croissants down to coat.
3. Finely zest an orange to measure 2 teaspoons of zest. Using a citrus press or juicer, juice the orange to measure 60ml; set juice aside. Chop pecans. Combine remaining sugar, orange zest and pecans, sprinkle evenly over croissants. Bake 30-35 minutes or until top is golden brown and egg mixture is set in centre. Remove from oven to a cooling rack; let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
4. Meanwhile, combine toffee sauce, vanilla extract, sultanas and reserved orange juice and heat in a small pan until hot, stirring after every 30-second interval; pour into serving jug or bowl. Serve sauce over pudding.

I love this recipe which I got from Pampered Chef when I used to work for them.  It's very easy and super delicious, give it a try, you'll love it too.