Here’s a time for a confession: I don’t like banana bread.

I know, it’s horrible! I can’t help it. The taste of overripe bananas is just unbearable for me. Saying that, it does sometimes happen that I leave my bananas for a bit too long and they reach the stage just before turning into wine when they are perfect for baking with. I hate wasting food, especially if it travelled thousands of km (or miles) to get to me. So I found a way of hiding the overbearing (for me) flavour of overripe bananas and I am going to share it with you!

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Secret ingredient

Two secret ingredients in fact. They take this banana bread to a completely different level! Due to the use bananas the cake is still deliciously sweet and moist but the main flavour comes from elsewhere.

Almond extract & poppy seeds

They might be a bit unorthodox when it comes to making banana bread but please trust me, it’s delicious!

Why add poppy seeds?

They are one of the superfoods that you want to add to your daily diet. I often stir some in my morning porridge but this banana bread is yet another way to sneak some in.

They are high in:

  • zinc
  • manganese
  • copper
  • calcium

As with anything else, higher doses or regular consumption may have negative side effects but I highly doubt you will eat more than a spoon a day or even eat it daily. Paracelsus famously said:

All things are poison, and nothing is without poison; the dosage alone makes it so a thing is not a poison.

So essentially, have a varied diet so you get a bit of all nutrients you need and you will have a better chance for living a healthy, longer life.

How to serve it

I love to serve any bake with a side of frozen or fresh fruit. In my opinion, it balances out the sweetness of the bake, introduces more variety and adds extra dose of vitamins to an otherwise naughty dessert. Never skip a chance to add your five a day!

A drizzle of honey, maple or carob syrup also works a charm with this banana bread.

a slice of banana bread on a plate, above it there is a wooden tray with few slices of banana bread straight from the oven

And, if you are feeling a bit peckish, why don’t you try low effort freezable cookies?

If you are looking for the perfect banana bread tin, consider using one of those.

Banana bread with poppy seeds and almond extract

Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Servings: 8 slices

Equipment

  • 1 metal tin mine is 25x15cm
  • baking parchment
  • 1 hand mixer
  • 1 spatula or spoon
  • 1 fork

Ingredients

  • 150 g butter at room temperature
  • 150 g golden caster sugar
  • 150 g self-raising flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 2-3 overripe bananas
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tbsp almond extract
  • handful of dried dates- chopped optional
  • 3 tbsp poppy seeds

Instructions

  • Heat the oven to 180℃. Wrinkle your parchment paper into a bowl to make it easier to assembly in a form. Sprinkle few drops of water into a tin, place baking parchment on top, it should stick in place fairly easily now. Arrange it so it will be easy to take the cake out when it's baked by holding the extra paper and lifting the cake out of the tin.
  • Add butter and sugar, mix with a hand mixer for a couple of minutes until light and fluffy. Add two eggs, mix again. Now peel bananas and add them to the mixture, using a fork mash it into pieces. Add almond extract, flour, baking powder and fold in using a spatula (you don't want to overbeat the mixture now so don't stir too rigorously). Pour in your extras and fold in gently.
  • Pour the mixture into a form and cook for 30-50 minutes. The cooking time will vary greatly depending on the shape of your tin. With mine, it took 40 minutes. Check with a wooden stick- when you stick it in the middle of the cake it should come out clean, then you know it's ready.
  • Cool for 10-15 minutes before serving. Store in fridge for up to 3 days.