Banana, Raisin & Cinnamon Loaf

Banana bread is so versatile. You can prepare all types of variations. The kids absolutely love this bread, and they always get a slice in their lunchboxes. It's also a great teatime treat, with lashings of butter, or toasted and topped with peanut butter.
I have been absent from the blog, as I am trying to find my feet with the new Bed and Breakfast season. This will be my sixth season, and every single year has been so different for me, because of my family life, and this year is no different. This year I have an extremely busy 18 month old as well as a vocal 4 year old to contend with, as well as all the work that comes with running a busy B&B, all by myself.

But now that I have settled into it and got a new routine going with the kids, I feel that my own normal life can continue and hopefully that means more time for blogging once again.
So starting back after a couple of months off with a quick and easy baking recipe. I'm killing two birds with one stone really, as I made this bread for my B&B guests for tomorrow morning.
Banana bread is a real crowd pleaser and I find it always tastes better on day two, which is why I made it the evening before the breakfast run.
There are hundreds of banana bread recipes out there, but this one is probably one of the quickest and easiest of them, oven ready in five minutes. Then let the oven do all the work.

Ingredients

• 250g plain flour
• 1 level tbsp baking powder
• 1 lvel tbsp ground cinnamon
• 2 large eggs
• 125g soft butter
• 125g caster sugar
• 75g raisins
• 1 tbsp demerera sugar
• 3 bananas (2 mashed, 1 sliced length ways)

Method

1. Line a 2lb loaf tin, or oil a silicone loaf tin. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
2. In a bowl, add the eggs, butter, mashed bananas, and sugar.
3. Using an electric hand blender, beat the mixture well.
4. Sieve in the flour, baking powder and cinnamon.
5. Add the raisins and fold into the mixture.
6. Pour evenly into the loaf tin.
7. Top the loaf with slices of banana down the centre of the loaf and sprinkle with the demerera sugar.
8. Bake in the centre of the oven for 50 minutes. Place of a wire rack to cool
9. Allow to cool completely in the tin before turning it out.