One thing that those close to me know about me, is that I love to embrace South African local foods and to ensure that I use them when I bake as well as when I cook. I have always had a love relationship with bananas. Being able to make a loaf that was more tasty than my favorite from Woolworths was always my goal. And through research and mix and matching, I settled on this recipe.
In 2020 with the rise in covid infections and people being forced to stay home, there was a rise in home cooks and bakers. and Banana loaf was one of the trending baked goods. I made three versions of the banana loaf. One was a vanilla banana loaf which is so easy to make and the trick is to add bananas into a vanilla cake mixture. the second one was the banana loaf with sliced banana on top. I totally failed as I found that the loaf did not cook well around the banana slices on top. I ended up making banana French toast with that. A great hit from my failure.
The third one came out perfect and I decorated it with banana flowers just to have it look pretty. with winter wearing out, this banana loaf is something that I created for the Supa Mama campaign. very classy and easy to make. I only use the fork to avoid over mixing. Make yours and tag #cookofdzonga and #supamamacommunity when recreating this.
Manipulated it using different baking pans as well as icing to be able to have it in many forms. But this time I made a simple frosting of Icing and custard. Nothing beats warm banana cake with a topping of custard.
Not always does one have ripe bananas ready for baking. Here are the methods on how to ripen bananas quickly.
Paper Bag: To speed the ripening process, put the bananas in a paper bag and loosely fold down the top. Add an apple or a couple of already very ripe bananas to the bag to increase the amount of ethylene gas circulating around the green fruit. The bananas should ripen in just a day or two using this method.
Oven: Put unpeeled bananas on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake them in a preheated 300 F oven for 15 to 20 minutes, flipping halfway, or until the banana skins turn completely black all over. Let them cool, then scoop the banana pulp from the peel and mash it for your recipe. The fruit will have the texture and flavor of an overripe banana.
Microwave: This method softens the bananas but does not improve the flavor or increase the sweetness, so you may need to increase the sugar in your recipe to compensate. This method works better with partially ripened fruit rather than fully green bananas. Peel the bananas and place them on a microwave-safe plate or bowl. Heat them on high just until you hear them sizzling, about 30 seconds.
In our home, we buy bananas weekly. I always keep 2 or three bananas either for baking or making pan cakes. If all the bananas have been consumed, I will check with my local supermarket. The local supermarket always sell ripe bananas at a discounted price.
For the toping I opted for the First Choice custard. I love the taste as well as the small individual pack which helps with avoiding waste. You can use home made custard or any other brand available. But trust me 1st choice is super tatsy.
Inkomazi Banana Loaf
Ingredients:
½ cup (113 grams) butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 ½ cups cake flour
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
3 mashed banana
½ cup creamy inkomazi
1 tsp. vanilla
Frosting:
2 tbsp. 1st Choice Custard
1 cup icing sugar
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Grease and line one 22cm loaf pan (or 1 square pan). Pan should be 3/4 full of batter.
2. In a large bowl, cream the butter with banana’s & sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs , one at a time and mix well.
3. Add Inkomazi, salt, baking soda and vanilla and stir it all in with a fork. Avoid overmixing this process.
4. Whisk in the flour to with the butter mixture.
5. Line your pan with the Supamama baking paper and cut off access paper on the top and the corners.
6. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 50-55 minutes.
7. Cool for 15 - 20 minutes and then turn the loaf out onto a rack. Ensure that the cake is totally cool before applying the glaze. We do not want a runny glaze but a thick one that holds together.
8. For the frosting: Combine the custard and icing with hand or stand mixer. Gradually add the icing sugar, and beat until smooth and creamy. Evenly spread the frosting over the top of the loaf and decorate with fresh slices of banana or banana chips with walnuts. Refrigerate to let frosting set completely before slicing. Refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container.
Tips:
Ensure that your bananas are ripe to have a great taste, the black the bananas the better.
To ripen the bananas quickly, you can simply place them in the oven while turning them until the skin turns black.
You can also replace inkomazi with sour cream.
Don't forget to check the latest competition in partnership with Supa Mama
https://www.thespruceeats.com/how-to-quickly-ripen-bananas-3051147
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