GF Banana loaf – a great way to use up some over ripe fruit

[Feedingmyintolerantchild]

I love bananas – so long as they are just ripe, perfectly yellow skin with no black spots and still firm to the bite. Once they get a bit spotty, soft and ‘furry’, they are nothing like as appealing. In these austere times, it seems very wrong to let them go to waste, so this week I decided to see what I could do with them, other than throw them away.

I remembered a banana and sultana loaf recipe that I last made several years ago, so decided to see if it could be successfully made using gluten and dairy free ingredients. I found the recipe in The River Cottage Family Cookbook and it is quite simple – even for me.

To make 1 loaf:

75g dried apricots

75g sultanas

I lemon

100g unsalted butter (soft not melted) – so I used Pure dairy free sunflower spread, which is soft even straight from the fridge

125g caster sugar

2 large free range eggs (we are lucky that Zac is ok with eggs, but I am sure this would work with ‘egg replacer for anyone who needs it)

3 large, very ripe bananas

200g self raising flour – I used the Doves Farm gluten free self raising flour

Preheat oven to 160c or gas mark 3.

Line a loaf tin (approx. 13x23x7cm) with baking parchment – that is what the recipe says. I had a glass pyrex loaf dish and just greased it with some Pure spread, and it slid out beautifully at the end.

Chop up the apricots to small pieces and grate the zest of a lemon.

Cream the ‘butter’ and sugar in a mixing bowl. Break in an egg and beat into the mixture. Once it is completed blended in, beat in the other egg. Next add the dried fruit and zest.

Mash the bananas with a fork and then add them to the mixture in the bowl.

Sift in the flour and carefully fold it in to the mixture with a large metal spoon. I didn’t have one and just used a bit plastic one. Worked fine. Ensure there are no pockets of flour within the mix.

Scrape the mixture into the loaf tin or dish, smooth off the top and cook it in the oven for about 50 mins to an hour. Probably a good idea to check after 40 mins. My oven is super fast, so I always cut the cooking time a bit. It is ready when you can insert a knife in the middle and it comes out clean – I used a spare chopstick, as I wanted it to look pretty for the photo!

Leave the cake to cool, in the tin for about fifteen minutes. Then turn it out and dive in. It is really nice when it is still a bit warm and moist. The children liked it. My Mum and sister had some with a cup of coffee and both said you would never know it was made with GF/DF ingredients. So I would rate that one as a success. Here is a picture. More on my site feedingmyintolerantchild.com

[carrie78]

I am just printing the recipe off and am going to try it as I was going to look for a banana cake recipe as I have 3 very over ripe bananas and like you, if there is a hint of brown on the skins, I cant eat them they make me feel sick, theyre yucky. I will be off making it in a few minutes so will let you know how I get along, as I am not at home, I do not have the apricots and I dont have a lemon, so gonna try with a few extra sultanas and orange rind if I still have an orange. I will let you know if it works with these slight adjustments, if not I will try the full recipe when I am back at home.

[carrie78]

The banana cake is perfect, I used mixed fruit as I am staying at my mums instead of the apricots and sultanas and I think id say maybe I used just a little much but it tastes fab and my husband who doesn't usually like gluten and dairy free things said it is really good. Thank you so very much for the recipe it was easy and is very tasty, I will try adding dairy free chocolate chips next time and let you know how that goes.

[Feedingmyintolerantchild in reply to carrie78]

Glad it worked out and went down well. I am going to try again today and add dairy free chocolate chips as per your suggestion. I suspect that would go down very well with Zac - and my husband! Many thanks for the idea.

[carrie78 in reply to Feedingmyintolerantchild]

I would suggest lining the tin/dish if yourr using choccy chips as they can sink to the bottom and cause a sticky mess as I found out the first time I made a cake in my bread machine I added choc chips and they welded themselves to the bottom of the pan, hehehe. Good luck with itt, I have more over ripe naners so if I can find the energy today I might have a go at a chocolate one, morrisons dark choc chips appear to be gluten and dairy free

[Kaarina]

I have made a GF banana cake in the past and very tasty it was too. There was no fruit in the recipe I used, other than the bananas.

I expect you know that you can store over ripe bananas in the freezer either until you have enough to make the recipe or if you do not wish to make the cake at the time the bananas are "on the turn". The skin do turn black and the bananas don't look that great but are super to use in cake recipes, as and when.

Kaarina

[Feedingmyintolerantchild in reply to Kaarina]

Thanks for the tip. What a great idea. I didn't know you could freeze them.

[joharding]

I don't do much cake baking, but i made this at the weekend and it was yummy! I only had 2 bananas and I used mixed fruit instead of sultanas, but it still turned out perfect!

Thank you

[Feedingmyintolerantchild]

Glad you enjoyed it. I think I might have another go myself today and try mixing in (dairy free) chocolate chips. Will let you know if it works!

[Kaarina]

No bake Nutella Oatmeal Cookies

youtube.com/watch?v=PYj1bpE...(Not working as expected?)

Kaarina

[Kaarina]

GF banana cake is delicious with added choc chips. Even more yummy is having a slice spread with Nutella chocolate spread. How naughty is that

You can slice the banana cake or loaf and then freeze it so if you feel like eating something sweet you are able to remove only as many slices as you need at any one time

Kaarina

[Feedingmyintolerantchild]

Genius!