Banana Mango Bread

I'm terribly addicted to banana bread. It's moist and crumbly, the banana negates any need for butter and it doesn't line every afterthought with guilt. Whenever my supply of banana bread runs out, it isn't long before I buy another bunch of bananas, wait for them to become sweet and overripe, then think of ways to twist my original recipe for the next batch. 

When you're trying to be healthy, the ease of baking a simple banana bread is deceptive. I've tried so many variations - using plain yogurt and canola oil instead of butter, using half as much sugar and even using no oil or butter at all. In the end, I've conceded to the fact that any decent banana bread needs some oil and at least 1/2 a cup of sugar (though the canola oil and yogurt method actually works astoundingly well). Something my mother always says came to me as I was writing this: "if you want people to eat your cake, you have to add butter and sugar." Hopefully one day I'll prove her wrong! 

bananas, pre-mashed

raw sugar, egg, canola oil: the sin that any respectably good cake cannot live without

plain flour, wholemeal flour, rolled oats & cinnamon

fresh out of the oven!

Banana Mango Bread Recipe

Ingredients

3 large ripe bananas

1/4 cup vegetable oil 

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup wholemeal flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, blended/finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 ripe mango, sliced into chunks

Method

Preheat the oven to 176 degrees C. Lightly grease and flour a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.

In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas well. Add the sugar, oil, ginger and vanilla extract, and whisk briskly to incorporate.

Sift in the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Use a wooden spoon to mix until the wet and dry ingredients are just combined.  Fold in mango chunks.

Bake for 45 minutes. The top should be lightly browned and a knife inserted through the center should come out clean, or with just a few crumbs.

Remove from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes before transferring out of a pan and onto a wire rack to cool completely.