Ingredients

• 6 very ripe bananas
• 125ml/4½fl oz vegetable oil
• 115g/4oz butter
• softened
• plus extra for greasing
• 335g/11½oz caster sugar
• 4 free-range eggs
• 450g/1lb plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• ½ tsp salt
• 225g/8oz raisins
• 225g/8oz pecans

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Grease and line two medium (or three small) loaf tins.
• Mash the bananas and vegetable oil together in a bowl and set aside.
• In a separate mixing bowl
• cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs
• one at a time
• then stir in the mashed banana mixture until well combined.
• Mix the flour
• baking powder
• ground spices and salt together in another bowl and lightly fold into the banana mixture. Add the raisins and pecans and fold together lightly.
• Spoon the cake mixture into the loaf tins and bake in the oven for 1½ hours
• or until risen and golden-brown. Check after one hour and reduce the oven temperature slightly if the loaves are browning too quickly on the top
• or cover the loaves loosely with aluminium foil.
• Leave the banana bread to cool in the tins
• then turn out and serve in thick slices.