Banana Bread or Simply Kek Pisang!

Being a kampung girl, I love love bananas...pisang, especially Pisang Emas! So, last Saturday, during my usual trip to the Pasar Tani I got hold of some Pisang Emas. The initial plan was to use the bananas for Banoffee Pie that I wanted to try using a recipe from a new dessert book that I bought in December. But, I was too busy ferrying my kids as hubby went back to Ayer Baloi to settle his chores there, and the bananas turned very ripe!

So, I turned to my Domestic Goddess book by Madam Nigella and bake this wonderful and moist Banana Bread, or orang kita panggil Kek Pisang. It is so, so easy to make, I got mine baked from scratch that only took 1 1/2 hours! So, I don't take any excuses from you all, okay! And, the Kek Pisang has become my breakfast for yesterday and today....with the moist and nutty texture from the bananas and walnuts, it's the best companion for my lonely hot black Nescafe in the morning.....mmmm....

Banana Bread
100g sultana, I omitted, there weren't any in my kitchen at the point of baking
75 ml bourbon or dark rum, am a Muslim, I don't take alcohol
175g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda
1/2 tsp salt
125g unsalted butter, I used salted butter and added salt on top, lebih lemak!
150g sugar, I used 120g, I figured the Pisang Emas was very sweet already
2 large eggs
bananas, about 300g without skin, I used 450g Pisang Emas
60g chopped walnuts, I should have used 80g
1 tsp vanilla extract
23x13x7 loaf tin

1. Preheat the oven to 170C.
2. Sift flour, bicarbonate soda, baking powder and salt, set aside.
3. Mash bananas, chop walnuts, all set aside.
4. Melt butter in a heavy pan, but please don't boil the melted butter! Pour into a large bowl. Add sugar to the melted butter, mix until well incorporated. Add in eggs one at a time. Add in the walnuts, bananas and raisins.
5. Fold in the flour, bicarbonate soda, baking powder and salt mixture in three batches. Mix well and pour into baking pan.
6. Bake for about 45 mins to an hour, I baked mine in 45 mins and had a skewer inserted came out from the cake with a bit of moist. Let cool, and it tasted better when served the next day!

For those chocolate lovers, you can omit 60g of flour from the batter and replace with cocoa powder and 100g chopped dark chocolate or dark chocolate chips....which makes chocolate banana cake, yummeh!!