I always buy too many bananas with the intention of being healthy and eating them all, the good intention lasts about 36 hours and then I can’t be bothered with them. So what do you do when you have old bananas in your fruit bowl? Bake a Banana Loaf of course!
In times of baking need there is only one person to turn to for a recipe… that’s right Mary Berry and her baking bible, or ‘Mury Bury’ as she sounds in my Northern Irish accent! I have used several different recipes before, but most call for 3 bananas and I only have 2… but no fear – Mary comes up trumps!
Mary Berry’s Banana Loaf (Taken from Mary Berry’s Baking Bible)
Ingredients
100g Softened Butter
175g Caster Sugar
2 Large Eggs
2 Ripe Bananas (mashed)
225g Self Raising Flour
1 tsp. Baking Powder
2 tbsp. Milk
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180C / Fan 160C / Gas 4.
2. Lightly grease a 2lb loaf tin, then line the base and sides with baking parchment
3. Measure all ingredients into a mixing bowl and beat for about 2 minutes, until well blended
4. Spoon the mixture into the tin and level the surface
5. Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 1 hour, until well risen and golden brown. A fine skewer inserted in the centre should come out clean if the loaf is ready.
6. Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes, then turn out, peel of the parchment and finish cooling on a wire rack.
This was so easy to make and delicious, and there wasn’t much left of it by the time it was cooled on the rack!
Queen of Everything 
Best one I have found and when it came out of the oven looked the as the picture well pleased
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I have just baked this for the time using gluten free flour and substituting the baking powder for xanthum gum, as I am gluten intolerant. It’s come out beautifully and I cant wait to take it to my god daughters birthday party tomorrow now…
… how will I not eat it before then!!
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Very easy to make and tastes as good as it looks yum yum!
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This is such a great recipe, I come back to it frequently. Just seen the comment about adding some peanut butter – inspired me to go try that right away!! I also replace the tablespoons of milk with some Rum to give it a slightly different dimension.
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The last time I made a banana loaf it was a disaster, many years ago. With 5 small over ripe bananas looking well past their sell by date I decided to have another bash at banana loaf. This was the first site I came too and I have to agree that it is such an easy recipe. I doubled the mixture and substituted a few of the ingredients. I swapped a third of the flour with wholemeal and added approx. 30g of chopped mixed nuts. I also used a variation of golden cast sugar soft brown sugar and little bit of left over cane sugar and swapped the butter for Flora buttery which I often use in cake making as it is quite oily and gives a good moist result. The final ingredient was a generous teaspoon full of ground ginger. Result, Awesome.
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The only recipe I use, and for someone who likes to try recipes once and not come back to them, this is a firm favourite. I always add cinnamon, and sprinkle a cinnamon-sugar mix on top. Makes the top really yummy and crispy and when you cut in it’s lovely, soft, and moist. Definitely the best recipe out there
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Just came across your post Adele when looking for a banana loaf recipe! Gonna make it today! X
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Hi Michelle! Hope you enjoy it – it never lasts long in this house when I make it! x
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Really nice cake I like to cut up a Mars bar and mix in. Pure heaven
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Oh I like the sound of adding Mars Bar! I might give that a go next time myself!
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Made this Banana Loaf yesterday and the family have scoffed it already! Thank you for a great recipe, it was lovely and moist and tasted amazing. Couldn’t believe that it turned out so well as it was my first attempt at making Banana Loaf.
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Glad you all enjoyed it! Its such a great quick and easy recipe!
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Just made this! Adapted it for gluten free / coconut oil coupla weeks ago (on blog) but made the Mary Berry original today…delicious! x
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I tripled the recipe as had 6 bananas, made a large round cake and 30 muffins for kids at school. Added cinnamon and a large dollop of Nutella, yummy xx
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Oh my – this was lovely! So pleased to have come across your site 🙂 Thank you.
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Easy and incredibly easy
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EPIC
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I just made this recipe with gluten free flour so my 15yr old could have some. The 3 blokes in my home don’t do bananas, especially the brown ones. Instead of a loaf , I shared the mixture into small cake cases. They have eaten a few already and enjoyed them. Result! My mum made these for my brothers and me when we were younger. She would also add weetabix to the mixture , and give them to us when we wouldn’t eat breakfast, and we would eat them on the way to school, maybe my boys will do the same, as they never want to bother with breakfast either. Yummy, I’ll be taking some to work for heartbreak time.
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it’s in the oven as we speak. really easy. will report later on how the family liked it
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Made two of these last week and they were the best banana cakes I have ever had. Doing two more this afternoon. They freeze well too and taste just as good after defrosting.
Thanks
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I have just made this cake and it so nice.
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Just made this for myself & my toddler son (he loves it!) Thanks for sharing the recipe 🙂
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Best banana loaf I’ve ever made! 🙂
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Hi-great recipe.i made banana muffins with the recipe instead of a loaf- baking for 20-30 mins which also works really well
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its a superb recipe, my first attempt at baking from scratch, i added some raisins, pistachios and pecans and it got devoured by family in less than 2 hours.
Thanks for sharing.
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Tried this recipe my husband cut it 5 minutes after it came out of oven delicious will be baking it again
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Just made this and it was easy to make and tasted delicious.
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just made this, it’s so good! thanks for sharing the recipe!
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Ive just tried it with raisins. Also trying a touch of Greek yogurt as I wanted to reduce the butter content by half. Looking forward to the results.
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I never thought of replacing some of the butter with greek yogurt – how did it turn out?
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Just made this cake/loaf it turned out well and am certainly trying this recipe again
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Just made my 2nd cake in a week tastes good if I say so myself
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Was sitting at the kitchen table noodling around on my iPad when I noticed 3 rather too-ripe-for-eating bananas in the fruit bowl. Promptly googled ‘banana cake’ and up popped this recipe. I scaled up the recipe to accommodate 3 bananas and added some chocolate chips and mixed spice. A loaf and round cake are baking as I type – will report back with the verdict of the taste test! Thanks for sharing and blogging!
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This is my all time favourite cake receipe. I don’t bake much but this is so eat to make. I’ve got a loaf in the oven at the moment. I just wish I’d made enough for 2 as I’ve just read the comments and can’t wait to try it with some of the extra bits & pieces that people have used.
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Can u use normal sugar instead of softened sugar?
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Yes, normal sugar is OK to use to!
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I have never really done baking before , but this recipe is so easy, I have already made it 3 times in the last two weeks as it doesn’t last too long with my two hungry kids. They love it.
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I just made this cake and turn out lovely and easy..!!!! I recommend it!
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This is a super quick cake, I add 2 ozs of chopped walnuts and ice with a simple glacé icing. Very popular!
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What can i use to replace the egg when making banana cake
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I’ve made this cake so many times and now I’ve added a little to improve it. I always add a teaspoon of vanilla extract and an extra banana (3 in total) to this recipe and as I have a fan oven I bake it at 160 for just 50 mins. It turns out perfect every time.
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Easy recipe done in no time and what a delicious one!
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Done it with blue corn flour and rice flour..so much lighter !
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Wonderful recipe. I doubled this so you can imagine how much banana loaf I have!!! As I couldn’t find my loaf tin, I used a muffin tray and 2 cake tins! So it’s like I’m breeding banana cake.
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I’m 13 years old and I was looking for a recipe to make a banana loaf and I read through a few and this sounded easy so I tried and it came out
perfectly and tasted even better ! X so thank-you
for this easy perfect tasty recipe ! 🙂
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I’ve made this banana loaf from your website many times and it’s always been fab 🙂 Today I needed to use up some defrosted stewed apple so made an apple variation….I added 2 tsp ground cinnamon, a portion of cold stewed apple (tried to guess approx 2 bananas worth!!) instead of the bananas and topped with a muscovado glaze (some dark muscovado sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla essence and tbsp cold water). The mixture was very wet but it baked in an hour and tasted delicious! Will have to try even more variations 🙂
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Just made your lovely cake/loaf. Added aero chocolate and 3 bananas it’s turned out delicious Xx jan
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Ok, i use only 100 g sugar, and add a whole bar of bournville. Makes 24 cakes or 12 muffins. Oh and 3 bananas. Is so easy and ive tried quite a few recipes.
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Wee question when it says beat do u use a wooden spoon or is a electric hand whisk ok ?
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Either is fine, sometimes I just beat it with a wooden spoon, other times with an electric whisk!
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I found this post while searching for an old recipe I used to use but couldn’t find again. Tried this one with half a tsp cinnamon and a handful of walnuts and it was delicious! I forgot to add the milk but it hasn’t seemed to matter. It’s come out lighter and fluffier than my old recipe – I love it! DDelicious warm from the oven last night and just had another slice with a cup of tea this morning and it’s yummy cold too. Think I may have to go buy some bananas to forget to eat so I have to make another loaf to use them up 🙂
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Amazing, everyone loved it in school 🙂
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I’ve made this several times lately, always yummy. Today I started writing it into my favourite recipe book and discovered it was identical to my late mothers recipe – I grew up on her banana bread Except she used 3 bananas which I have been doing anyway. She always served it with butter spread, not sure that is necessary but I’ve continued her habit!
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Brilliant. My banana bread efforts are often disastrous but this one looks just like the picture. Thx for sharing, now if I can just wait for it to cool before I cut it…!
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