Very BaNANA loaf

Banana loaf, banana cake, banana bread... what's the difference? Based on my little research, people use the terms interchangeably. But recipes for cake, bread and loaf differ to some extent. Banana cakes tend to call for more butter and oil as compared with banana bread and loaves. Banana cakes are also "fluffier" and taster richer than banana breads. Regardless, banana recipes are quick, simple and popular with beginners. They are hard to go wrong, unless you like unripe bananas......

There are easily over hundreds of banana cake/loaf/bread recipes available in recipe books and on the internet. I adapted my recipe from one called BEST EVER BANANA BREAD from allrecipes.com. Until I tried all the banana recipes in the world, there is no way to prove is the best ever banana bread. But I can tell you, this is a fail-proof recipe, not matter how you modify it.

(It is a pity that I did not have my camera with me when I baked this banana loaf. had to turn to a dinosaur 3G iPhone I inherited from Dear. with a 2 megapixel camera only, the pictures are really quite a blur)

ba-NANA loaf

Ingredients

• 220 g plain flour 
• 1 tsp baking soda 
• 1/2 tsp salt 
• 1/2 - 1 tsp ground cinnamon (optional) 
• 110 g caster sugar 
• 110 g packed brown sugar (okay to use all caster sugar if you have no brown sugar) 
• 2 Eggs, light beaten 
• 1/2 - 1 tsp vanilla essence (optional) 
• 120 ml  vegetable oil 
• 80 ml plain yoghurt (original recipe calls for buttermilk and if using buttermilk, increase sugar to 300g) 
• 3 Large bananas, smashed (always use Dole Bananas! =) 
• (You may add pecan or walnuts) 

Method

1. Preheat oven to 165degC. Grease and line a 9-by-5 in loaf tin. 
2. Beat eggs lightly with vanilla essence 
3. Blend together the smashed bananas, yoghurt, and oil and egg-vanilla mixture 
4. Sift together the flour, sugars, cinnamon, baking soda and salt 
5. added 4 into 3 and mix well 
6. Pour mixture into prepared tin and bake in oven for about 1hr 20min or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. 

Simple as it may be, it was very well-received. I am very heartened by the comments given by my friends. *big grin*

I will definitely make it again!