From sourdough and biscuits to brownies and banana bread, the nation went bonkers for baking during the first lockdown of the pandemic.
Inspired by our love of cosy TV favourites like The Great British Bake Off, we tapped into our inner Mary Berrys and Paul Hollywoods to create our own brilliant bakes.
The initial hysteria may have died down since then, but it seems our love of banana bread has stayed strong, with the recipe still the most searched on the internet during lockdowns two and three.
We don’t know whether it’s because it’s easy to make, wholesome and nourishing, or just plain delicious – whatever the reason, here’s the recipe so you can see what all the fuss is about.
Brilliant Banana Loaf – BBC Good Food
Ingredients
140g butter softened, plus extra for the tin
140g caster sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
140g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 very ripe bananas, mashed
50g icing sugar
Dried banana chips
Method
Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
Butter a 2lb loaf tin and line the base and sides with baking parchment.
Cream 140g softened butter and 140g caster sugar until light and fluffy, then slowly add 2 beaten large eggs with a little of the 140g flour.
Fold in the remaining flour, 1 tsp baking powder and 2 mashed bananas.
Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for about 50 mins, or until cooked through. Check the loaf at 5-min intervals by testing it with a skewer (it should be able to be inserted and removed cleanly), as the time may vary depending on the shape of your loaf tin.
Cool in the tin for 10 mins, then remove to a wire rack.
Mix 50g icing sugar with 2-3 tsp water to make a runny icing.
Drizzle the icing across the top of the cake and decorate with a handful of banana chips.
