This variation on classic banana bread includes blueberries and yoghurt in the batter and a crunchy hazelnut topping. As ever, banana bread takes over an hour to bake so set the alarm if you want to serve this loaf warm for breakfast. Cake is always worth getting out of bed for.
Ingredients
2 medium eggs
200g muscovado sugar
100g butter, melted and cooled
3 really ripe large bananas
75g full fat Greek yogurt
1tsp vanilla extract
200g plain flour
1tsp baking powder
110g blueberries
25g (1oz) chopped hazelnuts
Greek yogurt, to serve
honey, to serve
Directions
Preheat the oven to 190°C/fan 170°C/Gas Mark 5. Grease and line a 2lb (900g) loaf tin with nonstick baking paper. With an electric whisk, mix the eggs, sugar, cooled butter and a good pinch of salt together for 4 minutes until light and fluffy. Mash the banana and yogurt with a fork, add to the eggs with the vanilla extract and whisk again.
Add a spoonful of the flour to the blueberries and mix to coat. Stir the baking powder into the remaining flour and sift this over the top of the whisked eggs and banana. Fold through, then add the blueberries and fold again until everything’s just combined. Spoon into your prepared tin, even the top and sprinkle over the hazelnuts. Bake in the oven for 1 hour 10 minutes, until a skewer comes away clean.
Cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then turn out and cool completely on a wire rack. Serve with Greek yogurt and a drizzle of clear honey.
Freezing and defrosting guidelines
Bake according to the recipe but stop before adding decoration. Allow to cool completely. Wrap well in clingfilm and tin foil (to prevent freezer burn) and freeze for up to 3 months.
Loosen the tin foil and clingfilm but leave to defrost in packaging at room temperature for several hours before serving.
If you wish to add icing or decoration, add them after the baked goods have fully defrosted and are at room temperature.