Raspberry and Banana Loaf

We are big fans of bananas in our house but often we can’t get through them quick enough and end up with a few sad looking ones. So I have always made loaf of banana bread or cookies to get them used up. I have been looking for lower sugar / healthier options recently and came across a yummy recipe by Lorraine Pascale that fit the bill nicely.

You will need:

– 50g unsalted butter

– 50g soft light brown sugar

– 2 eggs

– 100g wholemeal flour

– 125g plain flour (you could use more wholemeal instead)

– 2 tsp baking powder

– 2 ripe* bananas, mashed

– 125g raspberries

– Handful of oats

What to do:

1. Heat the oven to 180c (350f or Gas Mark 4) and then line a loaf tin with baking paper or lightly grease the tin.

2. Cream the butter and sugar together until combined. Add the eggs and mix well.

3. Add all of the flour, and baking powder and stir until nicely mixed in. Then stir in the bananas and then gently fold in the raspberries.

4. Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and smooth down with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle the oats evenly over the top.

5. Bake in the oven for around 50 minutes – smells divine whilst it cooks!

6. Leave to cool completely before removing from the loaf tin (it can be quite crumbly when it’s hot).

*if your bananas aren’t quite ripe yet and are still a bit hard, put them unpeeled on a baking tray and bake in the preheated oven (180c) for about 20 minutes. The skins will go black but inside the bananas will soften and become sweeter and tastier.

Enjoy your yummy loaf – it works well for a breakfast on the go or a yummy tea-time treat!