Loafing around

As the chill descends it's important to focus on the good things that winter will bring.
Number one for me is baking. Lots of baking. It warms the house and tummies. Double the good deed.
There is nothing like warm sweets and a cup of tea to put me in the right frame of mind.
I'm trying to pace myself and haven't started on the puddings yet. Soon. I'm trying to hold off until June 1 to bust them out.
Right now I'm using up all the bananas in my freezer to make the age-old crowd-pleasing banana loaf. This is one recipe that never lets me down. It's quick to whip up (you don't even have to get the mix master out), I always have the ingredients on hand, you can add spices, nuts and even chocolate to bling it up a bit, it makes the house smell nice and while it is delicious warm (especially with some vanilla icecream) it tastes even better on day two (if it makes it that far). Here's my take:

Banana Loaf
1 cup plain flour
1 cup wholemeal flour
2 tspns baking powder
1 cup raw caster sugar
pinch ground cinnamon
pinch ground cloves
3 bananas mashed
125g butter (melted)
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and line a loaf tin. Sift flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl (tip the wholemeal husks left in the sieve in too). Stir in your caster sugar and spices. In a separate bowl combine melted butter, mashed narnies and whisked eggs. Now add it to your dry ingredients and mix well. Bake for about an hour or until a skewer comes out clean. Dust with icing sugar.

A tip I learnt from my nanna: add a piece of folded newspaper to the bottom of your loaf tin (put it under the greaseproof) to stop loaf cakes burning on the bottom.

Added extras I love: 1/2 cup chopped pecans, walnuts, milk choc chips or white choc chips.