Banana and Coconut Bread Recipe

I'm not normally a big fan of banana breads, though my wife prepares a West African version based on ground rice that's delicious and here is another recipe that I picked up whilst in Nigeria. There freshly-grated coconut is used along with coconut cream and beaten eggs are used as a rising agent. I have taken quite a few liberties with this version of the recipe, adding baking powder and substituting yoghurt for the coconut cream, but the result is a moist and delicious cake that I have no qualms in recommending to you.

Banana and Coconut Bread

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

100g (1/2 cup) butter, softened
300g (2 1/2 cups) plain flour, sifted
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
75g (3 oz) desiccated coconut
200g (1 cup) caster sugar
4 ripe bananas, peeled and mashed until smooth
2 eggs
100ml hazelnut yoghurt

Method:

Mix together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and desiccated coconut in a bowl.

In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Mix in the mashed bananas, eggs and yoghurt and beat until smooth.

Fold the flour mixture into the banana mixture. Pour the resultant batter into a greased 900g (2 lbs) loaf tin then transfer to an oven pre-heated to 180ºC (350ºF, Gas Mark 4) and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre emerges cleanly.

Allow to cool for 15 minutes in the tin then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.