Vegan Banana Bread

So, here's the thing. I hate bananas. I loathe bananas. If I could eradicate one thing from the face of this earth, bananas would be my ultimate and instant choice. So, obviously, I decided to make banana bread - Pip

Ingredients

• 4 ripe bananas
• 100g brown sugar
• 120ml sunflower/vegetable oil
• 220g plain flour
• 3 heaped tsp baking powder
• 3 tsp mixed spice
• (optional) handful of chopped walnuts/raisins 
• Heaped tbsp icing sugar
• Tsp vanilla paste
• 1 - 3 tsp water

Equipment

• Loaf Tin 
• Fork
• Greaseproof paper
• Foil

Oven Temperature

• 200c/400f/Gas 6 

Method

• Preheat oven to Gas Mark 6
• Mash up the bananas with a fork to achieve desired consistency - if you like a lot of texture, leave some lumps in there.
• Add the brown sugar and the oil and mix until smooth. 
• Combine wet mixture with the flour, baking powder and mixed spice, and then mix until all of the ingredients are thoroughly combined.
• Grease and line your loaf tin and then pour in your batter.
• Oven bake your banana bread for twenty minutes; after that time, cover loosely with foil and then continue for another forty minutes (or until a skewer comes out clean).
• Whilst your banana bread is cooling, combine icing sugar and vanilla bean paste in a pot and mix until combined.
• Add in a teaspoon of water at a time until you achieve a smooth dropping consistency.
• Once the cake has cooled, drizzle spoonfuls of icing from a height to create the stripy effect.

Verdict

I'm really not the best person to ask about this one - from a texture and appearance point of view, it was moist, springy and had a lovely, even rise, even with the absence of eggs. From a taste point of view, the person I made if for loved it, so you're going to have to take his word for it! Definitely a winner if you're looking for a vegan cake recipe that still feels naughty, and it would be an excellent addition to an afternoon tea spread.