A classic banana bread recipe with soft chewy dates and toasted crunchy walnuts baked in the batter. The not too ripe bananas and few teaspoons of cornstarch in the batter give it a nice tender structure that’s not too moist and mushy. Feel free to experiment with other add-in ingredients like substituting the dates with figs, and the walnuts with toasted skinned hazelnuts!
Makes one 9″x5″ Loaf
Recipe adapted from the Tivoli Bakery Cookbook
155g all-purpose flour
28g (2 tbsp) cornstarch
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
250g ripe bananas, peeled
juice of half a lemon
2 large eggs, at room temperature lightly whisked
1 tsp vanilla extract
85g butter, at room temperature
110g caster sugar
100g walnut halves
140g pitted dates, sliced
1 small banana, less ripe (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 160C (320F). Grease a 9″x5″ (23cm x 13cm) loaf pan and line with baking paper.
2. Sift the flours, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Mash the ripe bananas with the lemon juice in a separate small bowl. Stir in the whisked eggs and vanilla extract.
3. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and the sugar until pale and fluffy. Gradually add the egg/banana mixture beating well between each addition until fully incorporated. Add the dry ingredients and mix gently until barely combined then add the walnuts and dates.
4. Peel the other less ripe banana and cut into two thin slices lengthways. Pour the batter into the tin, and place the two banana slices on top (if the slices are thick then they will sink into the cake). Bake for 50-60 minutes until the top is golden brown and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Leave the tin for a few minutes then transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely.