During my university days, I initially stayed at a boarding place at Grove Street in Los Banos Laguna. Ten students shared the entire place with a small family. Our landlady was a seamstress, thus it is very handy whenever we had clothes for mending. Our place is just beside Ellen's Fried chicken, which made it as our "adjacent" kitchen. Feasting with sauteed mongo beans, a leg cut of fried chicken plus rice was indeed comforting for us being away from home.
During study time, me and my mates find ourselves hungry every minute spent on studying. Just across our place is "Jericho Bakery" whose owner we fondly call "Kuya Jerry". From our second floor window, we could smell what he was baking. We will enquire from our windows, "Is it banana loaf?" and he would nod and waved with invitation. This will trigger all of us running down the stairs as if in stampede, and lining up for our turns to be served.
Banana loaf (or we call it banana cake) is a happy food for me. I like to bake if I'm stressing over some matters..it has become a therapy. Eating the finish product is the rewarding part, bringing me back to memory lane, and putting a smile to my face. Most of all, it will make you proud once its consumed and appreciated. If you were one of those students who were lining up at Jericho's Bakery during those times, let me share with you my homemade banana loaf. I promise you this one is easy enough for a 6 year old to make.
For the ingredients:
100 grams of butter
225 grams of flour
1/2 cup of brown sugar
2 eggs beaten
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup of raisins or sultanas
3 medium sized bananas, mashed
Preheat oven at 180C/350F/Gas4.
Rubbed the butter into flour, until you achieved a bread crumb texture. Mixed in the brown sugar, eggs and honey. Mix evenly. Add the mashed bananas and raisins.
Grease the loaf tin with vegetable oil. You can line up the tin with baking sheet, but not necessary. Pour in the mixture and get into the oven for 40-45 minutes. Do check your loaf to make sure you don't overcook. Once done, take the loaf out of the tin and set to cool in a rack.
You now have your banana loaf.
The mixture can be substituted with 2 pieces of grated carrots (less the raisins) to have your carrot loaf; or mash 2 granny smiths apples and add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon for a different twist.
Ready for tea.
