Spiced banana breakfast loaf

Sometimes when I’m going through my cookbooks I say things out loud: things like “I am so making this”, or “I’ll make this next weekend”, and so on; just so you know it, the hubby doesn't find it weird. :)

A couple of weeks ago I was “talking” to my books again when I said I was going to make a banana cake. “Another one?” Joao asked. I smiled back at him and said nothing, but thought “hey, don’t you know me at all?” – there’s no such thing as too many banana cakes. ;)

Spiced banana breakfast loaf
from Baking by Flavor

2 cups (280g) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
½ cup (113g/1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2/3 cup + 2 tablespoons (157g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 ½ cups mashed ripe bananas
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
¾ cup (83g) pecans, lightly toasted and cooled completely, chopped

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Lightly butter and flour a 22.5x12.5x7.5cm (19x5x3in) loaf pan.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves into a large bowl. Set aside.
In another bowl, whisk together the butter, granulated sugar, eggs, mashed bananas and vanilla. Pour the egg-banana mixture over the dry ingredients, add the pecans and mix until the particles of flour are absorbed. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 55 minutes, or until golden and rise and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the loaf in the pan on a rack for 5-8 minutes, then carefully unmold onto another rack. Cool completely.

Makes 12 slices – I made 2/3 of the recipe above and used a 8x19x5cm loaf pan; the cake did not rise much, and the texture was a bit on the dense side, but it tasted delicious