Almond, Date and Maple Banana Bread

This recipe is a result of a few accidental adaptations of banana bread recipes. The alterations, based on the results, I would like to say came from a place of creative innovation but being honest, they were a very lucky outcomes of using whatever I had to hand in the cupboards. Nonetheless it seems to have created somewhat of a beast of a banana bread. The main differences to the average recipe is the use of almonds rather than walnuts, maple syrup instead of golden syrup and also the addition of self raising flour which seems to give it an extra lightness. I can’t really put my finger on why this works so well, but the almonds seem to give a kind of perfume that walnuts don’t equally achieve and the maple has a more distinctive flavor which makes everything that little bit more interesting.I will be having mine with seasonal rhubarb compote and a big spoonful of ice cream but it is equally as tasty when scoffed on the tube to work…

Ingredients

100g plain flour

75g self raising

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

150g caster sugar

125g unsalted butter

2 eggs

½ tsp finaly grated fresh ginger or 1 tsp dried ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla extract

300g very ripe bananas, mashed

150g medjool dates, pitted and chopped

100g flaked almonds

1 tbsp Maple syrup

Method

Preheat oven to 170ºC

1) Sieve into a big bowl the flour, baking powder, sugar, bicarbonate of soda, spices and salt, then combine well with a wooden spoon. 

2) Put the butter, dates and maple syrup in a small saucepan over a low heat, keeping an eye on it so that it doesn't burn. When melted, add the mashed bananas and stir on the heat until they are properly coated. 

3) Take the pan of the heat and pour mixture into a big bowl, add the vanilla extract, then walnuts, and then whisk one egg in at a time. 

4) Bit by bit, add the dry mixture until just

5) Scrape into a lined loaf tin and bake in the middle of the oven for 1-1¼ hours. It may look slightly darker than expected around the sides but that’s just the maple syrup and dates working their magic.