So here I am tooting my own horn!! It’s so darned hot, the bananas are just ripening in a flash. So we are making banana bread, just perfect for that 4 pm sugar low!!

Here is my Mother-in-law’s family recipe:

1/2 cup soft butter

2 large eggs at room temperature

3/4 cup caster sugar ( the original recipe calls for 1 cup but I found it too sweet)

1½ cup maida, sifted

1½ teaspoon sofa bi carb, stirred into sifted flour

3-4 very ripe bananas mashed ( do this just before you start mixing the other ingredients)

Preheat the oven to 180C

Line and grease an 8″ loaf tin

Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl until soft and fluffy. Get some air into it. Spatula or hand-mixer, both work fine.

Add the eggs one by one and keep beating.

Add the mashed bananas and beat well.

At this point I add a generous ⅓ cup of chocolate chips, a handful of chipped walnuts and 2-3 tablespoons of chopped, candied ginger in syrup ( drain the syrup). You can use all of these or one of them, it doesn’t matter!

Chef Chris Saleem loves to add peanut butter with his chocolate chips.

I found the ginger preserve gave it such a fantastic kick and depth.

Stir well and pour into an 8″ loaf tin, well greased if silicon and lined and greased if not.

Bake at 180C for 20-35 min. Watch it and test with a skewer. The skewer should come out clean.

Remember not to leave it lying around once you have mixed the sofa bicarb into the mixture. Pop it into the oven. Immediately.

I love my loaf to have some crust and turn a deep golden brown

And voila!!