Fruit & Nut Loaf

This recipe is a variation on the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook banana loaf. I love a cake with bits and pieces, so I decided to add some pecans, dates and chocolate - because we all know everything tastes better with chocolate! Make sure you use some very ripe bananas for this, as it will intensify the flavour and make the cake moister. The darker the skin, the better!

I took this cake to a picnic with friends and it was a great hit. Marco has been pestering me to make it again, especially as he could not get over the fact that I gave the last two remaining pieces away before we headed home, instead of saving them for him!

Fruit & Nut Loaf

(adapted for the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook)

Need To Have:

250g dark brown soft sugar

2 eggs

2 small bananas, peeled (about 180g)

280g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

140g unsalted butter, melted

100 g dark chocolate, coarsely chopped

100g pecans, coarsely chopped

50g dates, coarsely chopped

Need To Do:

Grease a 23 cam loaf tin and line with baking paper. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Beat the sugar and eggs until well mixed and slightly frothy. 

Mash the bananas with a fork and add, beating again until well combined.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and spices over the egg mixture and beat thoroughly until well incorporated. Beat in the melted butter.

Carefully fold in the chocolate pieces, pecans and dates.

Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and bake for about an hour and 10 minutes. If the top gets too dark, cover it with a piece of tin foil. The cake is ready when it is firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean

Let cool completely in the tin before serving.

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