banana cherry bread

In our house when bananas start to brown and soften I peel them and pop them in the freezer to use in smoothies or for baking. While my go to is normally plain banana bread (or with 1/2 cup of dark choc chips) I like to mix things up around Christmas time and make banana cherry bread when cherries are in season. It can also be made with tinned or frozen pitted cherries. It makes for a great afternoon tea.

I made this banana cherry bread version gluten free using Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Flour and gluten free baking powder. While it can be made using a hand or stand alone mixer I find mashing the bananas and mixing the ingredients in my Thermomix reduces the amount of washing up.

I use a large bread tin that holds 450g and is 25cm x 12cm x 10cm purchased form All About Bread.

ingredients

• 3 medium bananas
• 125g butter
• 120g raw sugar
• 2 eggs
• 200g plain flour (or gluten free flour)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate soda
• 250g fresh, frozen or tinned (400g tin minus the juice) pitted cherries
• 1 tablespoon icing sugar for dusting

 directions

1. Line a bread loaf tin and pre-heat oven to 180 degrees celsius.
2. Mash bananas in a large bowl.
3. Place room temperature butter and sugar into mixing bowl and beat until creamed.
4. Add eggs and mix until combined.
5. Add mashed banana, plain flour, baking powder, bicarbonate soda and mix until smooth.
6. Add cherries and stir through with spatula. Pour into prepared loaf tin and bake for 50 minutes or until skewer comes out clean.
7. Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the tin before removing to cooling rack to dust with icing sugar.

Thermomix directions

1. Line a bread loaf tin and pre-heat oven to 180 degrees celsius.
2. Place bananas in TM bowl and blend for 5 seconds, speed 5. Transfer to a separate bowl.
3. Place butter and sugar into TM bowl (no need to rinse after mashing the banana). Mix on 5 seconds, speed 7.
4. Add eggs and mix for 10 seconds, speed 7. Scrape down the TM bowl.
5. Add banana, plain flour, baking powder, bicarbonate soda and mix for 10 seconds, speed 7.
6. Add cherries and stir through with spatula. Pour into prepared loaf tin and bake for 50 minutes or until skewer comes out clean.
7. Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the tin before removing to cooling rack to dust with icing sugar.
8. Slice and enjoy with a cup of tea!

If you don’t want to add cherries this recipes works well for plain banana bread or with 1/2cup of dark chocolate chips.