This is the perfect way to use up those very sad looking, over ripe bananas. My banana loaf is delicious served warm with a cup of tea on a rainy day or would make a good addition to a little one’s lunchbox. It is also a very easy recipe so perfect if you have little ones who would like to help.

You will need;

• 3 medium or 2 large very ripe bananas mashed
• 140g butter at room temperature
• 140g caster sugar
• 140g self-raising flour
• handful of chocolate chips (optional)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 large eggs beaten
• 50g icing sugar
• handful of banana chips

Firstly get your oven on to 160C fan/180C. Whilst it is heating up butter and then line with greaseproof paper a 2lb loaf tin.

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Then slowly add your beaten eggs with some of the flour combining it all together gently.

Fold in the remaining flour, baking powder and mashed bananas.

When it is all mixed now is the time to add your chocolate chips (if you are using them). I find that coating the chocolate chips in a bit of flour stops them all from sinking. I just gently fold the chocolate in once and then pour the mixture into the tin.

Bake in the oven for about 35-40 mins, until a skewer when placed in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Cool in the tin for about ten minutes then place on a wire rack to cool.

When the cake has cooled make your icing with 2-3 tbsp of water to make a runny icing. Drizzle the icing across the top and then decorate with your banana chips.

I don’t have a picture of what the cake looks like with icing on as my lot went bananas for the cake and had demolished it before it had cooled down and I could decorate it!