BANANA BREAD
 NIGELLA
Photograph by Petrina Tinslay
INGREDIENTS

100g sultanas
75ml bourbon or dark rum
175g plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
125g unsalted butter, melted
150g sugar
2 large eggs
4 small, very ripe bananas (about 300g weighed without skin), mashed
60g chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
23 x 13 x 7cm loaf tin, buttered and floured or with a paper insert
Serving Size : Makes 8–10 slices
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METHOD

1.Put the sultanas and rum or bourbon in a smallish saucepan and bring to the boil.
2.Remove from the heat, cover and leave for an hour if you can, or until the sultanas have absorbed most of the liquid, then drain.
3.Preheat the oven to 170ºC/gas mark 3 and get started on the rest. Put the flour, baking powder, bicarb and salt in a medium-sized bowl and, using your hands or
4.a wooden spoon, combine well. In a large bowl, mix the melted butter and sugar and beat until blended. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the mashed bananas. Then, with your wooden spoon, stir in the walnuts, drained sultanas and vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture, a third at a time, stirring well after each bit. Scrape into the loaf tin and bake in the middle of the oven for 1–11/4 hours. When it’s ready, an inserted toothpick or fine skewer should come out cleanish. Leave in the tin on a rack to cool, and eat thickly or thinly sliced, as you prefer.
ADDITIONAL INFO

I haven’t done a tremendous amount of fiddling with this, but I did once make it, for friends who are more chocolate-crazed than I am, by replacing 25g of the flour with good cocoa powder (not drinking chocolate) and adding 100g of dark chocolate, cut up into smallish chunks. And you could just as easily use the chocolate chips sold in the baking aisle of supermarkets. If you’re thinking about giving this cake to children, don’t worry, the alcohol doesn’t pervade: you just end up with stickily, aromatically swollen fruit.

REVIEWS

I didn't have any rum, so I used ouzo - worked well. Also I misread the recipe and started by pouring melted butter into the flour. It looked like a disgusting disaster, but I added all the other ingredients and hoped for the best. It turned out perfectly and disappeared almost instantly!

StoupaTart

Almost a staple in my house ! Heaven on a plate ...wonderful warm and sublime cold!!

emj23

My husband's favourite cake. This is regular in our house, and I have tried the chocolate version but the original recipe is very hard to beat. Best banana bread ever.

Nickki

A very good banana bread recipe...moist and not too sweet! I especially love this bread while still warm from the oven!

Psappha

In my house we love banana bread, I´ve tried several banana bread recipies, this is THE BANANA BREAD. The best banana bread ever. Taste and texture perfect and never fails. I have stuck to this recipe since I first made it. I always skip the raisins and booze though, as I´m the only one who likes raisins in my family.

kristin

I started making this recipe due to an excess of brown bananas in my house and it has become part of my repertoire. I have tweeked ingredients here and there to try out different flavours and textures and it never fails to taste delicious - try adding marmalade and citrus zest for a different twist. Personally, I find that raisins are a must whichever method you use to plump them up (water or orange juice or rum), and dark chocolate makes for a decadently delicious hit every time.

GarlicFingers

This is a family favourite and a popular request at my partner's work. Everyone loves this cake, the deep aromatic scent of the Bourbon is intoxicating (not literally of course) :)

Coby

I just made Nigella's recipe for banana bread for the first time, and even just the little nibble I had when I took it out of the loaf pan, was delicious!! This is my go-to banana bread from this day forward. I am the only banana bread fan in the house so it's mine all mine! :D

plumtomato

I turned this into banana muffins and it's just as delicious, just more portable!

marial2

Absolutely divine & moist (not like other banana breads I've made) - made this on Sunday and it was gone by the next day! I've even been asked by a friend at work to make one for her. No more throwing away bananas in my house...

Tesscha

This is a cake which I make quite regularly, and the chocolate version is really beautiful. I absolutely love the rum-soaked raisins in this cake. I don't think I've tried any other banana cake recipe since using this one!

cremebrulee

Made this many times and it always, ALWAYS, worked. I did also the chocolate version as suggested by Nigella in the book, and my friend told me that I should sell that at his local, award-winning farmer's market (Gloucester Farmer's Market in Stroud) after eating pretty much the entire loaf.

Novice1403

This is quite the nicest thing for a Sunday evening sitting in bed knowing that I have to get up for school the next morning- a sort of comfort blanket. I adore a slice of this loaf spread thinly on one side with warm nutella, the combination of banana and nutella is just out of this world! (:

lucylouxx

Just made this recipe without walnuts, vanilla essence and alcohol and is just so delicious!

libosc

This recipe was my first ever attempt at baking & I was shocked at how well it turned out. Since then I am devoted to Domestic Goddess & this has become one of my regulars. I make it on a Sat aft and have it with coffee & the Sunday papers, come Sunday evening im picking at the crumbs from the cake tin :)

weecheffie

I absolutely love this recipe. I have made it with and without the chocolate. I used some melted margarine with double cream instead of butter, worked just as well. I also soaked the raisins in Earl Gray tea, where I intended to add some rhum essence but I forgot. I did add once some whiskey (the only liquor I had in the house). I wanted to eat it with some jam, but after tasting it I realized I would overdo it, so I just have it with milk.

stana

Have just made this for the second time. First time without walnuts & was delish, today I made with Dutch cocoa & soaked my raisins in sherry again without walnuts. I love this with the chocolate flavour & using sherry instead of rum (which I do have but prefer to drink) was actually much nicer. Will definitely have this as a staple in our house! Thanks Nigella :o)

Kiwifruit1

I have made this banana bread recipe more times than I can count. It's delicious.

AllThingsYummy

Very delicious. I added 1 tspn of cinnamon and replaced 50gms of the sugar with 50mls of honey. Cooking time on 180degs C in a gas oven was 1hr exactly.

QueenSpud
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