SUGAR-FREE BANANA BREAD

Contributed By Jen McCormack

Dish history 

This recipe can actually be found in the “Commonsense Cookery Book” (Book One Revised Edition, 1988, Harper Collins) but I’ve changed some quantities and mixed it up a bit with the methods of another recipe so it is not actually the same. 

Ingredients ·

• 1 cup wholemeal flour
• 1 cup plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• ½ tsp mixed spice
• 60g butter or margarine
• 1 egg
• ½ cup finely chopped dates
• 2 well-mashed ripe bananas
• ¼ cup milk

Before you begin

Preheat the oven to 180°C. 

Method

1. In a small bowl add the chopped dates and the bicarbonate of soda. Pour boiling water over the dates so they are only just covered. 
Leave for 15 minutes.
2. Lightly oil a bar pan.
3. Sift flours, baking powder and mixed spice into a large mixing bowl.
4. In another mixing bowl, cream butter, egg and 1 tbs of dry ingredients – beat well then stir in dates (with the liquid) and bananas.
5. Fold in remaining dry ingredients alternately with milk. If a lot of liquid went in with the dates then don’t add the milk.
6. Spread mixture in the bar pan and bake for 30 minutes. Or until cooked inside. Test with a clean knife. If there is mixture on the knife when removed, then bake for longer.

Comments

I like to sprinkle a mixture of brown sugar and cinnamon on top before the pan is put in the oven– which, strictly speaking, 
means it is no longer a sugar-free cake…