I developed this banana bread recipe, as like most toddlers, my kids go through food phases - one week they love bananas and the next they won't touch them! Which means that I will regularly stock up with bananas during their 'love' phases, only to find out that they suddenly 'hate' them again, leaving me with loads of bananas that over-ripen in days.
I struggled to find a recipe that ticked all the boxes:
- Vegan - whilst I am veggie, many of my friends are vegan, and I like to share!
- Low sugar - I started making this when my youngest was 6 months old.
- Gluten free - This is optional, but I try to have a low gluten diet.
- Tasty - I wanted something that both adults and kids would enjoy!
So after a bit of trial and error, I found a recipe that worked for us! Enjoy...
Ingredients:
- 4 very ripe bananas. mashed up
- 50g soft light brown sugar (you can add less/more if you fancy)
- 300g self-raising flour (gluten free can be used)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 150ml sunflower oil
- Optional extras - raisins, dried apricot, chocolate chips, raspberries... whatever takes your fancy!
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas Mark 4. Grease and line a loaf tin, but cake tins/muffin trays work too!
- Mix together the mashed banana, sugar, flour, cinnamon and baking powder with a wooden spoon. You can use a kitchen mixer with a flat beater/mixer blade attachment if you prefer.
- Add the oil and mix again to combine. You can add any optional extras at this stage too.
- Spoon the mixture into your prepared tin(s) For one big loaf/cake, bake for 50-60mins. For smaller muffins, bake for 25-45mins, depending on the muffin size.
- If you notice the cake is browning too fast, place some foil or a silicone baking sheet over it to prevent the top from burning.
- Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 15 mins, then flip out onto a wire rack and let cool for 1 hour.
Banana bread freezes really well - simply cut into individual slices and freeze in a tupperware container or reusable snack bag, take out in the morning and they'll be defrosted for lunch!