What do you do when you have over ripened bananas in your fruit bowl? Well on our house we make banana cake. For years mum has made it and I’ve followed her recipe to make a good few myself, enough that I know it so well I can have a tweak at the recipe.

My recipe is for a Banana, pecan and coconut loaf

For my recipe you will need:

– 4oz (4 ounces) of margarine
– 4oz of cane/caster sugar
– Ripe bananas
– 2 eggs
– 3oz of dessicated coconut
– 2oz of pecan nuts (and 9 to go along the top)
– 8oz of self-raising flour
– 1 teaspoon of baking powder

Here’s how to make it at home

Firstly preheat your oven to 190oC

1. In a bowl add your margarine and sugar

2. Cream the margarine and sugar together, you can do this by hand with a spoon, with a hand mixer or in a large mixer, (I’m using my Kitchen Aid). You want to cream (mix) it until it becomes light, fluffy and pale

3. In the mean time beat together your two eggs

4. With a fork mash your ripened bananas

5. Weigh out your dessicated coconut and the rest of your dry ingredients (flour and baking powder)

These will go in later

6. Roughly chop up your pecan nuts

7. Now that you have prepped everything, add your beaten eggs to the creamed sugar and margarine

Don’t worry if your mixture looks like this and like it has split, just make sure to mix in all the sugar and margarine

Like this and make again

It will all incorporate together in the end

8. Now add in your mashed banana and mix together

9. Next add your dry ingredients (flour, coconut and baking powder) and your chopped pecans

Mix it together until the wet and dry ingredients are completely combined

I found mixture a little too dry so I added a small bit of milk to loosen up the batter

10. Place it in a lined (with greaseproof paper) loaf tin and top with your remaining whole pecans

11. Bake in the oven for 1 hour

12. To know if your loaf is cooked insert a skewer or knife

If it comes out clean, like the picture above, you know it’s ready. If it doesn’t come out clean put it back in the oven for 5 more minutes and test again

13. Leave to cool on a wire rack

And pull down the greaseproof paper around the sides

14. Once cooled cut, serve and enjoy!

I hope you like this recipe as much as we do, it’s really easy, lasts ages in a air tight tub/container and tastes delicious!

If you try this recipe out for yourself let me know, leave a comment or send me a picture on my Facebook Page, instagram account, twitter account

Look forward to hearing from you! Xx