Spiced Banana Bar

This is one of my favourite cakes. It is really basic to throw together, has a great banana flavour, is incredibly moist, is really forgiving and takes well to variations. It also uses ingredients that most people have in their pantry so you don't need to make a trip to the shop before you make it. This makes it great for those unexpected visitors.


INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cup SR Flour
2/3 cup Castor sugar
60g butter
2 very ripe bananas, mashed well
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon spice - I use mostly ground cinnamon and a little nutmeg, but a little ground ginger is nice and so is all-spice, if you have it.


METHOD:
1. Preheat oven to 180 C. Grease a loaf or bar tin with a little oil, melted butter or oil spray.
2. Using electric beaters, beat butter and sugar until creamy.
3. Add banana and vanilla and beat to combine.
4. Add egg gradually, while beating.
5. Fold in sifted flour, spices and milk. Stir until just combined.
6. Pour mixture into baking tin and bake for 45min or until a skewer comes out clean.
7. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 mins, before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.



So good. The last few times I have made this recipe, I haven't had real block butter, so I've just used 3 tablespoons of Western star spreadable butter and it worked just fine. I've also used a variety of sweet spices with great success.