Mrs Campbell’s Banana Bread

There are a handful of recipes which I have baked since childhood.  My mother’s friend Yvonne Campbell always offered something freshly baked when we visited.  While she and Mum held adult conversation, I would sit copying out Mrs Campbell’s recipes into my little recipe book.  In a way it’s sad that children no longer use the respectful term of using adult’s surnames, my friends are introduced to my children by their first names.  Mind you I would feel really ancient if addressed as Mrs instead of plain Sula.

When we went on camping holidays to Okavango swamps or lake Kariba I would make 6 loaf cakes to take with us, 2 fruit loaves, 2 date loaves (also Mrs Campbell’s recipe) and 2 banana loaves.  One year we stopped at the Lion and Elephant hotel in Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia), the hotel was full and the restaurant closed as we were late.  We slept in the car, Mum had a tough job convincing me to let us have a banana bread for supper.  It was meant to be saved for Kariba.

Over the many years which I have been baking this recipe it always receives many compliments and never fails.

MRS CAMPBELL’S BANANA BREAD

INGREDIENTS

1 cup mashed ripe bananas (3 bananas)

110 grams soft margarine

375 ml  (1 ½ cups) sugar

2 eggs

2 ½ cups flour

pinch salt

¾ tsp bicarbonate of soda

½ tsp baking powder

60 ml (¼ cup) milk soured with lemon or buttermilk

60 ml (¼ cup) chopped pecan nuts

METHOD

Sift dry ingredients

In another bowl Cream margarine and sugar

add eggs and mix in

Alternately add dry ingredients, mashed bananas and sour milk (or buttermilk) to creamed margarine mix

stir in nuts

Pour into a large loaf tin (mine is 28 cm x 10 cm, 6 cm deep) and sprinkle the top with a teaspoon of sugar

Bake at 180° C for 40 – 60 minutes

If you like this you may want to try Mrs Campbell’s date loaf