Recipe: Tangy Lime & Banana Loaf

Banana loaf has been a favourite in our family for a long time and I even go without eating some of the bananas and wait for them to really ripen just so I have an excuse to make banana loaf! This time I experimented adding tangy lime to it. Oh my goodness, the banana loaf we enjoy has been elevated to the next level of yummy. Just one lime has made it taste sensational, (well that’s my opinion anyway)! The zingy tang on your tongue is delicious. You won’t be disappointed.

Ingredients

125 g (4 oz) butter or margarine, softened plus extra for greasing the tin
75 g (3 oz) caster sugar
75 g (3 oz) soft brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
3 very ripe bananas, mashed
250 g (8 oz) self-raising flour, sifted
1 generous teaspoon honey
1 generous teaspoon maple syrup
Half a lime (other half for decoration)

To Decorate

100 g Icing sugar sifted
1 teaspoon cold water
Half a lime

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), gas mark 4 and grease 1 kg (2 lb) loaf tin.
• Cream the butter and both sugars together in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy.
• Mix in the beaten eggs.
• Add in the mashed bananas and stir well.
• Fold in the flour, mix thoroughly and then stir in the honey and maple syrup.
• Grate the rind from the lime and set aside.
• Cut the lime in half and squeeze one half of the juice into the mixture and half of the rind. Leave the rest of the rind for the icing.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes.
• Lower the heat to 150°C (300°F), gas mark 2 and cook for a further 15 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
• Turn the banana loaf out onto a wired rack and let it cool.
• Once cooled, mix the icing sugar with the water and lime juice from the other half of the lime.
• Add more water if necessary to get a consistency so the icing can be drizzled over the loaf. Too runny and will run off and not set.
• Sprinkle the remaining lime rind for decoration.  Eat whenever you like!