madcity girl

There are few things I like more than freshly baked banana bread. I love to cut myself a slice when the bread is piping hot, straight from the oven. But maybe even more, I like a slice of bread a day or two later, once the flavors have had the chance to age and meld. There’s just never really a bad time to enjoy a slice of banana bread.

I’m prepared to make a loaf of banana bread at all times. I always keep a stash of over-ripe bananas in my freezer. It’s all about strategy, really. Essentially, whenever I buy bananas, I let one or two over-ripen (to the point of being completely brown and soft). I then place the bananas in a plastic bag and throw them into the freezer until I’m ready to bake a loaf of bread. That way I’m always armed and ready.

This time I was inspired by a simple recipe for banana bread featured on Design*Sponge earlier this week. The recipe is from Heather Moore, an illustrator and designer from Cape Town, South Africa. The recipe has apparently been in her family for a log time, and originated with her Aunt Betty. I was instantly smitten by the photographs of the bread, and decided that I needed to bake a loaf immediately. The recipe is very simple. I think it produced a great loaf of bread—nice and golden brown on the outside, with great banana flavor on the inside. Enjoy!

1 stick + 1 tbsp. butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
4-5 ripe bananas
1 tsp. vanilla
Salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9×5x3 or 8×4x4 loaf pan with parchment paper.

Beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs. Add dry ingredients. Add mushed bananas and vanilla.

Bake at 350 degrees F for one hour.