Banana Bread

I'm the only one in this house who actually eats bananas. They go in the fruit bowl full of good intentions, get forgotten, and end up sitting there going speckled and soft while everyone else pretends they don't exist. But turn those same bananas into cake form? Suddenly the kids can't get enough.

This is my rescue mission bake - a properly moist, buttery banana loaf with a whole banana laid on top before it goes in the oven, so it bakes right into the crust and caramelises as it goes. It's finished with a simple water icing, but made with unrefined icing sugar instead of the usual white stuff, which gives it a warm, faintly caramel tone instead of a stark white drizzle.

It's a lovely one for a Sunday bake - low effort, big reward, and a genuinely good way to stop good bananas going in the bin.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Turns forgotten bananas into a family favourite

The bananas nobody touches in the fruit bowl suddenly become the most popular thing in the kitchen once they're baked into a loaf.

That golden caramel glaze

Swapping standard icing sugar for unrefined icing sugar gives this glaze a warm caramel tone instead of stark white - small swap, big difference.

Banana baked right into the top

A whole banana halved and laid on top before baking caramelises in the oven, so you get flavour and a beautiful finish with zero extra effort.

Simple, honest ingredients

Butter, sugar, eggs, flour and bananas - no fancy shopping list, just a proper, comforting bake.

Freezer-friendly

Slices well and freezes beautifully, so it's easy to batch on a Sunday and have ready for the week ahead.

8 Servings 45 Minutes

Ingredients

Butter - 150 grams
Eggs - 2
Baking Powder - 1 tsp
Caster Sugar - 140 grams
Icing Sugar - 50 grams
Self-Raising Flour - 140 grams
Water - 50 ml
Banana - 3

Method

Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4. Butter a 2lb loaf tin and line the base and sides with baking parchment.
Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
Beat in the eggs gradually, adding a little of the flour with each addition to stop the mixture curdling.
Fold in the remaining flour, baking powder and mashed bananas.
Pour into the tin, then lay the halved banana on top, cut-side up.
Bake for around 45 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean - it may take a little longer than a standard loaf thanks to the banana on top.
Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool fully.
Mix the icing sugar with the water to make a runny glaze, then drizzle generously over the cooled loaf.

Hints and Tips

Use bananas that are properly ripe

The riper and more speckled the bananas, the sweeter and more flavourful your loaf will be - don't rescue them too early.

Cream the butter and sugar properly

Beat until genuinely light and fluffy before adding the eggs - this is what gives the loaf its soft, even crumb.

Add the eggs gradually with a little flour

Adding a spoonful of flour with the eggs as you go helps stop the mixture curdling.

Give it longer than a standard loaf

With the extra banana on top, mine took around 45 minutes rather than the usual 30 - always check with a skewer rather than going by time alone. If the skewer comes out clean, it's done.

Try unrefined icing sugar in your glaze

This one small swap turns a plain white icing into a warm, caramel-toned drizzle - a genuine differentiator worth trying on any of your drizzle cakes.