RECIPE: Lockdown v2.0 mini banana loaves

I may not have quite gotten around to learning to play the trombone or turning my vagina into a bespoke candle or whatever it is that Gwyneth Paltrow would have us do at times like these, but if there is one lockdown activity that I’ve well and truly bought into it’s banana bread.

In fact I was on the banana bread wagon even BEFORE the pandemic, but then we’ve always known I’m a trend setter haven’t we? ‘Finger on the pulse’ is a phrase close family often use to describe my approach to fashion and current affairs.

Just to keep ahead of the lockdown banana bread curve then, I decided to crank things up a notch last week and take my banana bread exploits to the next level. I did this in two ways.

First, I added chocolate chips. I know, mind blown. You can literally add chocolate chips to ANYTHING and it’s better. I feel like you could add chocolate chips to a bath and it would be a win.

Second, I went MINI. Everyone knowns that making normal sized things SMALL is a sure fire way to improve them. Think of all the things you know and love and imagine teeny tiny versions of them. It’s adorable isn’t it? It doesn’t work with wine, but that might be the exception.

Bish bash bosh – mini chocolate banana loaves. We’re saved! November’s lockdown is going to be okay! (I mean it’s still shit, but at least you’ll have cake and something to do for half an hour.)

To make mini banana loaves you will need:

  • 140g soft margarine
  • 140g caster sugar
  • 140g self-raising flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • Splosh of vanilla essence
  • Big handful of chocolate chips
  • 2-3 ripe bananas.
  • Extra chocolate and banana chips for decoration should you feel so inclined

Whisk everything except the chocolate chips and bananas up together into a delicious looking cake batter. Stir in the bananas and the chocolate and transfer to a tin.

You’re done.

That was easy wasn’t it? I had quite fancy eggs, with brightly coloured yolks, so my mixture was quite a vibrant yellow colour. Fitting for banana bread I thought.

easy banana bread recipe

To make my loaves mini I used a mini loaf tin that was a gift from Judge bakeware. The bakeware from Judge is a really lovely quality and the non-stick is excellent. I did give the tin a little squirt of oil spray, but I’m not even sure it needed it, the loaves slide out in a very satisfying way once they were cooked. The mini loaf tin has a five year guarantee so Judge must be pretty confident.

(Judge also gifted me some lovely kitchen scales and if this post has given you a hankering to do some baking then they have a whole range of kitchen scales with 40% off until 22nd November.)

I’m not honestly sure how long I cooked them for or at what temperature. Time has been a bit of an odd concept this year hasn’t it? Temperature wise, 180 I’d think – that’s how I do most things – and probably for about 25 minutes? You know when cakes are done though right, when they are springy to the touch and start very slightly to come away from the edges. Take them out then.

To finish my mini banana loaves I made the effort to pipe melted chocolate on top and decorate with banana chips because, quite frankly, I was looking to take up as much of lockdown as possible and bring myself ever closer to being able to go to a Christmas market. (Fingers crossed.)

Easy mini banana loaves

If this has got you in the mood for baking I can also recommend my ricotta raspberry cake or some homemade Tunnock’s tea cakes.

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