Banana and Passionfruit Loaf

Deliciously fruity.

The passionfruit vines that we’ve been growing for the last few years have been producing some very juicy purple gems over the last couple of weeks so I decided to incorporate the pulp of a couple of them into this banana bread. They bring a beautiful sweetness to the mix, and I love the way that the passionfruit seeds add a little tasty crunch to each slice 🙂

This bread is very easy to mix up and doesn’t require any fancy kitchen equipment apart from a loaf pan.

If you can’t get fresh passionfruit then use canned pulp – I think a 1/4 cup would probably be the equivalent. If raspberries are in season where you are then they would also work very well.

By the way, I’m finally on Pinterest– my husband says I am obsessed with it already…

Ingredients – serves 4-6:

• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 bananas
• pulp from 2 passionfruit, or 1/4 cup canned passionfruit pulp
• 200g/7 oz plain (all purpose) flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• a little icing (powdered) sugar, to serve

Method:

• Heat your oven to 180C/160C fan forced/350F.
• Grease a standard loaf pan with a little butter or cooking spray.
• Put the sugar and oil into a medium bowl and stir until the oil is absorbed into the sugar.
• Peel the bananas and place into another medium bowl. Mash with a fork until all lumps are gone.
• Add the mashed banana and passionfruit pulp to the sugar/oil and stir.
• Add the flour, baking powder, bicarb of soda and egg to the mixture and stir until combined.
• Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan, place the pan on a baking tray and then bake for 30 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and cover the pan with some aluminium foil – this is to prevent the loaf from browning too much.
• Bake for a further 20-25 minutes. The loaf is cooked when a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
• Leave the loaf to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• Dust with a little sieved icing (powdered) sugar just before serving.
• Enjoy!