The March 2021 Bake Off Box challenge was Banana and Walnut Mini Loaves – moist mini banana loaf cakes topped with buttercream, chopped walnuts and banana chips!
115gunsalted buttersoftened, plus extra for greasing the mould
120gcaster sugar
50glight brown sugar
2mediumeggsroom temperature
250gplain flour
1tspbaking powder
1/2tspbicarbonate of soda
1/2tspcinnamon
1/2tspsalt
60gwalnutschopped
Buttercream
135gunsalted buttersoftened
100gicing sugarsifted
To decorate
20gwalnutschopped
30gdried banana chips
Instructions
Banana and Walnut Mini Loaves
Heat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/Gas 5. Grease the silicone mini-loaf mould with a little butter.
In a small bowl, mash the bananas with a fork and set aside.
Place the butter, caster sugar and light brown sugar in a mixing bowl. Use an electric hand mixer to cream them together for about 3-5 minutes, until light and fluffy. (Or beat them together with a wooden spoon).
Add one egg and mix well. To prevent the mixture from splitting, add two tablespoons of flour. Then, mix in the remaining egg, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
Add one third of the flour, and all the baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, ground cinnamon and salt, and mix well. Add another third of the flour and mix well again.
Add the final third of the flour and all the mashed banana and fully combine, using a hand mixer or wooden spoon.
Use a spatula to gently fold through the chopped walnut pieces.
Divide the batter equally between the 8 hollows of the mould and smooth the tops. Place the mould on a baking sheet and bake the loaves on the middle shelf of the oven for 30 minutes, until well risen and a cocktail stick inserted into each loaf comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the mould for 10 minutes. Then, carefully pop out the loaves and transfer them the right way up to a wire rack. Leave to cool completely.
Buttercream
Place the butter in a clean mixing bowl and beat with an electric hand mixer until very soft and smooth. Sift in the icing sugar in two batches, beating well between each addition. Whisk for 5-7 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl from time to time, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Sit the piping bag in a tall glass and spoon in the buttercream.
To decorate
Snip the end of the reusable piping bag to give a 1cm hole, and pipe a back-and-forth S-shape down the length of each loaf.
Sprinkle over the chopped walnuts and decorate with the banana chips.
Notes
The recipe and instructions above are exactly as written on the recipe card provided with The Bake Off Box. This is not my own recipe!
Keyword bake off box, banana, banana loaf cake, GBBO, great british bake off, mini banana loaf cakes, mini loaf cakes, walnut