An Afternoon Tea Treat

Banana Walnut Bread
(From The Australian Women’s Weekly Cakes and Slices Cookbook)
















125g butter
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
¾ cup castor sugar
2 eggs
1 cup mashed banana (about 3 bananas)
¾ cup self-raising flour
¾ cup plain flour
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
½ cup chopped walnuts

Grease 2 x 8cm x 26cm bar pans, line bases with paper; grease paper.

Cream butter, vanilla and sugar in a small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy, add eggs one at a time; beat until combined. Stir in half the banana with half the sifted dry ingredients and half the walnuts, then stir in remaining banana, dry ingredients and walnuts; stir until combined. Spread mixture evenly into prepared tins. Bake in moderate oven for about 45 minutes. Stand 5 minutes before turning on to wire rack to cool. Serve buttered.

Keeping time: 2 days.

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Hubby’s boss drove through Carnarvon last week and bought a box of bananas back to Red Dirt Central, to share amongst the staff. A very generous gesture, especially considering that bananas are selling for $12.95/kg at the supermarket. Sadly we left it a bit long to eat them so they ended up becoming cake instead! I know, any excuse LOL.

I have made this cake lots of times and it is a terrific recipe – quick, simple and pretty much no-fail. The only thing I do differently is make one square loaf, simply because I only have one bar pan and haven’t got around to buying another one. It cooks in the same amount of time. I had to laugh at the recommended keeping time – it never lasts that long here.