Moist Banana Loaf

• soft unsalted butter↗100g g
• light muscovado sugar↗140g g
• large eggs↗2
• large ripe bananas↗3

  mashed (about 450 g/1 lb total weight)

• pecans↗50g g

  coarsely chopped

• raisins↗50g g
• buttermilk↗150ml ml
• all‑purpose flour↗280g g
• baking soda↗1 tsp tsp
• powdered sugar↗50g g

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 160 °C with convection (or 180 °C without it, gas mark 4). Grease a 20 × 13 cm loaf pan with butter and line the bottom with parchment paper.

2. 2

   In a large bowl, beat the soft unsalted butter with the sugar using an electric whisk until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, not worrying if the mixture looks a bit curdled. Stir in the mashed bananas, chopped pecans, raisins and buttermilk, mixing until homogeneous.

3. 3

   Sift the flour and baking soda directly onto the banana mixture, then gently fold in with a spatula, avoiding over‑mixing. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top.

4. 4

   Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out almost dry with only a few crumbs attached. Remove the loaf, let it rest for 10 minutes, then carefully turn it onto a cooling rack.

5. 5

   For the glaze, mix the powdered sugar with 2–3 tsp cold water until smooth and pourable. Using a dessert spoon, drizzle the glaze in strips over the entire surface of the loaf.