I must admit, I have an obsession for banana breads. I had an experiment on the different kinds of methods for making banana bread (click here to read more about the battle of the banana bread) but nothing beats this recipe by Curtis Stone. It is now my go-to recipe for banana breads. One thing to note about banana bread – the more ripe the banana, the more fragrant the bread will be. So don’t worry if the banana that you are using looks over ripe, so long as it is not rotten, it’s perfect for baking! I like to use yoghurt or buttermilk in my recipes because it makes the cake moist and light. In this recipe I used vanilla yoghurt but sometimes I substitute it with buttermilk. There is actually no difference in texture or taste. The ultimate banana bread Preparation time: 15 min Baking time: 40min or when skewer comes out clean Nutrition per slice (8 servings) Ingredients 100g plain self raising flour 100g wholemeal self raising flour 100g caster sugar 1/2 tsp cinnamon …

I made this cake a few weeks ago for a party and it was such a hit! I adapted this recipe from BBC Good Food’s Ultimate chocolate cake and it is fool-proof. I love recipes that doesn’t require the use of the mixer because it means one less thing to wash up later. Nutrition per slice (one cake serves 14) Ingredients for the cake 130g unsalted butter 150g dark chocolate (I used Lindt 90% dark) 85g white self-raising flour 85g white plain flour 80g caster sugar 80g brown sugar 1 tbsp instant coffee granules 25g cocoa powder 3 eggs 100ml buttermilk 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 bicarbonate soda 125ml cold water For the ganache 220g dark chocolate (I used Lindt 70% dark) 100ml skim milk 30g unsalted butter 1/4 tsp salt Directions Preparation time: 15min Baking time: 30min or when the skewer comes out clean Preheat the oven to 160 degrees and grease a 20cm square or round cake tin Put the dark chocolate, butter, 125ml cold water and 1 tbsp of instant coffee granules into a …

Have you ever wondered what is the difference in cake texture using different ingredients? Can butter really be substituted? One thing for sure about banana loaves – you can’t really go wrong with the taste because bananas and cinnamon have such strong flavours but the texture sets the loaves apart. So, today I’ve decided to embark on a little experiment using three different types of ingredients to make banana loaves. Aim 1: To determine if butter can be substituted with grape seed oil Aim 2: To examine the difference in texture between the use of buttermilk and non-fat yoghurt Let’s take a look at the ingredients used (click here for the full recipe) As we all know, butter is high in saturated fats – the kind of fats that increases your risk for cardiovascular diseases and also makes you fat. But are healthier options such as olive oil and grape seed oil really healthier? Let’s check out the nutritional values for the various cakes.   Looking at the chart above, it’s no doubt that the amount of …

To be honest, bananas are my least favourite fruits. I even get upset when my fruit platter is served with bananas because it makes the rest of the fruits smell and taste like bananas. But when bananas are used in cakes, I absolutely love them! It’s one of those strange things where people don’t eat cheese but yet they eat pizza or that they don’t take chilli but they eat curries. I’m definitely one of those contradicting people. Today I’ve decided to make a chocolate banana cake. I decided to make a healthier option by using grape seed oil instead of butter. You can use olive oil as well if you prefer. To add an “umph” factor to the cake, I’ve made a chocolate ganache because one can never have too much chocolate! Nutrition per slice (8 servings) Ingredients 100g plain self raising flour 100g wholemeal self raising flour 80g caster sugar 2 ripe bananas 40g cocoa powder 100ml buttermilk 100ml grapeseed oil 50g walnuts 50g dark chocolate chips 2 eggs For the ganache 100g …