Banana bread is one of those treats that I keep coming back to again and again. It's so easy to make, you only need a couple of ingredients, and it always tastes delicious.
A rare fond memory of lockdown, I still try to make banana bread whenever I've got a bunch about to go bad. recipe is usually my go-to: she's the queen of baking for a reason - and her method has never failed me. However, this time I decided to jazz it up a bit by adding one very trendy ingredient that I cannot get enough of right now.
Pistachio is everywhere at the minute, from the viral Dubai chocolate bars to the famous £17 pistachio easter egg from Waitrose. She is the moment: sweet, nutty and rich, I had been trying to get my hands on some pistachio spread (that didn't cost insane amounts of money) for a long time.
But it was Lidl's Italian Week to the rescue when I entered my local store a few weeks ago and found the shelves stacked with the creamy green delight. It also cost less than £3, which was significantly cheaper than the versions I'd also spotted at M&S and even world foods supermakets.
I couldn't wait to try it out in some baking - and thought it would be the perfect topping for some fresh banana bread.
Mary Berry's banana bread
Ingredients
- 100g butter, softened
- 175g caster sugar
- Two eggs
- Two ripe bananas, mashed
- 225g self raising flour
- One tsp baking powder
- Two tbsp milk
- Pistachio spread to finish
Method
First, grease a 17 x 9 x 9cm loaf tin with butter, and line it with greaseproof paper. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4.
Measure all of the ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix together. Mary recommends using an electric whisk but a wooden spoon will work just fine, which is what I did. I also had no self-raising flour so added an extra teaspoon of baking powder and a pinch of salt.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and level the surface. The recipe then says to bake for an hour, but I found that 45 minutes was more than enough, as the top of the cake was starting to look a little too well-done for my liking.Leave the cake to cool in the tin for a few minutes, then loosen with a small knife and turn the cake out. Take the lining paper off, and leave on a wire rack to cool completely.
I sliced mine thick, toasted it, and lathered with pistachio spread - as well as some Greek yoghurt and blueberries because life is about balance. This might be the best way to elevate your breakfast, since the pistachio adds so much indulgence.
Definitely make sure you're serving this warm, because the pistachio melts beautifully into the bread. I'd highly recommend everyone to join the pistachio hype train if you haven't already, and I hope it doesn't go away anytime soon.
