MARY BERRY'S BANANA LOAF
MARY BERRY'S BANANA LOAF
MARY BERRY'S BANANA LOAF

Ingredients
  • 1 ripe banana (peeled weight 100g/4oz)
  • 1 tbsp milk
  • 50g/2oz soft butter or baking spread
  • 75g/3oz plain flour
  • 75g/3oz caster sugar
  • ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • 1 free-range egg
  • 50g/2oz dark chocolate chips
  • 50g/2oz dark chocolate
Directions
  • Preheat the oven 160C/140C Fan/Gas 3. Grease and line a 450g/1lb loaf tin with non-stick baking parchment.
  • Use a fork to mash the peeled banana in a mixing bowl. Add the remaining cake ingredients (except the chocolate chips) and beat with an electric hand whisk until combined and smooth.
  • Stir in the chocolate chips and spoon the mixture into the prepared loaf tin. Level the top.
  • Bake for 40-45 minutes or until well risen
  • shrinking away from the sides of the tin and golden-brown.
  • Set aside to cool for 10 minutes
  • then remove from the tin and leave to cool on a wire rack.
  • For the decoration
  • break the chocolate into small pieces and add to a heatproof bowl.
  • Melt the chocolate in the bowl over a pan of simmering water (ensuring that the bowl does not touch the water). Stir regularly
  • until almost completely melted
  • then remove from the heat. The heat of the bowl will melt any remaining lumps.
  • Spoon the melted chocolate into a piping bag and pipe zig-zags across the top of the loaf. Set aside for the chocolate to set. Slice and serve.