Banana Pecan Loaf

• soft unsalted butter↗175g g

  plus extra for greasing

• golden caster sugar↗175g g
• eggs↗3
• self‑raising flour140g g
• ground almond↗85g g
• ½ tsp baking powder tsp
• milk↗100ml ml
• small very ripe bananas2
• pecans↗50g g

  chopped, plus extra for glaze

• soft unsalted butter (for glaze)↗85g g
• powdered sugar↗100g g

  sifted

• vanilla extract↗1 ч. л. tsp

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 160 °C (140 °C for convection, gas 3). Grease a 900 g loaf pan and line it with a long strip of parchment paper.

2. 2

   In a large bowl beat the soft butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

3. 3

   Add the mashed bananas, then the eggs one at a time, followed by the flour with baking powder, ground almond, ½ tsp baking powder and milk. Mix until the batter is smooth – the mixer will help melt the bananas.

4. 4

   Stir in the chopped pecans, gently mix and pour the batter into the prepared pan.

5. 5

   Bake for 45–50 minutes until the top turns golden and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. After baking, cool the loaf in the pan, then carefully remove it.

6. 6

   For the glaze, beat the soft butter, powdered sugar and vanilla extract until smooth. Spread the glaze over the cooled loaf and sprinkle with the remaining chopped pecans.