This is yet another recipe from this month’s Delicious Magazine. Yes, I know it sounds like I work for them but I don’t. I just love it, and this month’s issue is fantastic as always. This recipe for Pear & Maple Syrup Banana Bread by Rosie Ramsden jumped out at me and I knew I had to try it.
Ingredients
100g/3.5oz unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
3 (about 250g/9oz) really ripe and speckled bananas
100g/3.5oz golden caster sugar
2 ripe but still firm comice pears, cored and chopped, dusted in a little flour
1 tbsp maple syrup, plus extra to serve
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large free-range egg
150g/5.3oz plain flour
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
50g/2oz pecans, roughly chopped
Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/350F/gas 4. Grease and line a 1 litre loaf tin with baking paper so it overhangs the short edges of the tin. The excess paper will help you lift out the baked cake.
Mash the bananas in a mixing bowl, then stir in the melted butter and caster sugar until well combined.
Stir through the chopped pears, the maple syrup and vanilla extract then beat in the egg.
Sift the flour and bicarbonate of soda, then gently fold in, along with the pecans.
Pour the mix into the loaf tin, then bake for 45 minutes.
The cake should be dark on top with a soft, moist sponge. Check its done by poking a skewer into the centre. If it comes out clean, its ready.
Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes then lift out onto a wire rack to cool. Drizzle with extra maple syrup to serve.
And there you have it…a deliciously moist, sweet bread, jam-packed full of flavour and texture. Perfect with a cup of tea.
I took this into the office for my colleagues to try out and it went down a storm. In fact, quite a few of my friends said it was their favourite of all my recent bakes. So I really hope you get a chance to try this out.