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Banana Walnut Loaf

Serves
Serves 4-6
Total Time
1 Hour 15 Minutes
Ingredients
35g of walnuts
85g of wholemeal spelt flour
20g of cornflour or tapioca flour
1 tsp of ground cinnamon
1⁄4 tsp of ground nutmeg
1⁄3 tsp of baking powder
1⁄3 tsp of bicarbonate of soda
2 large ripe bananas, plus an extra half banana to decorate
Pinch of sea salt
3 tbsp of rapeseed oil, plus extra for greasing
80g of maple syrup
1 tsp of cider vinegar
1 tsp of vanilla paste
Handful of demerara sugar, for sprinkling
Method
Step 1

Preheat the oven to 200°C and toast the walnuts on a baking sheet for five to six minutes until lightly browned. Cool, then roughly chop.

Step 2

Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C and grease a 450g loaf tin with a little rapeseed oil and line with baking parchment.

Step 3

Sift together the flours with the spices and raising agents in a bowl.

Step 4

Weigh the bananas. You need 165g, and mash well. Place the mashed bananas in a bowl and blend with the salt, oil, maple syrup, vinegar and vanilla with a balloon whisk. Tip in the dry ingredients and fold through with a spatula until just blended, then fold in the walnuts.

Step 5

Scrape the mixture into the loaf tin, leaving it a little domed in the middle. Slice the extra half piece of banana lengthways and place this on top to decorate. Sprinkle with a little demerara sugar all over the top and bake for 45 minutes, or until the top is browned and springs back when pressed. An inserted cocktail stick should come out clean.

Step 6

Let the cake cool in the tin until just warm, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Brush the bananas with a little extra maple syrup to add a little shine.

Recipe from Nourish Cakes by Marianne Stewart, photography by Catherine Frawley (Quadrille, £15)

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