Ginger and Banana Loaf.

It is getting harder and harder to get out of bed in the mornings these days. It is so dark when I leave the house it just doesn't seem natural. I am never one for getting up early at the best of times but on these dark and cold mornings the snooze button is groaning with overuse.

The one thing that has had me getting out of bed this week has been the promise of a fancy coffee and a slice of Ginger and Banana loaf for breakfast. We just treated ourselves to a Dolce Gusto machine, we are big fans of fancy coffee in my house so being able to make our own lattes and cappuccinos is pretty bloody exciting! We are getting through quite a few of the little capsules but in my book they are totally worth it!

Now onto the sticky wintery deliciousness I have been sneakily eating for breakfast...

Banana and Ginger Loaf
This was sort of a spur of the moment recipe, I loosely followed this but added all sorts of bits and bobs.

250g plain flour

115g butter

115g dark brown soft sugar

1 teaspoon bicarb

2 eggs, beaten

2 large over-ripe bananas, mashed

two small pieces of stemmed ginger, chopped

1 tsp ground ginger

0.5 tsp cinnamon

pinch salt

I also added a little glug of the ginger syrup from the stemmed ginger, this really brought a lovely warmth to the loaf, but without overpowering it. I sprinkled the top with a bit of brown sugar which gave a lovely crunch on the top.

This recipe could not be simpler, just simply mix the wet ingredients, then add to the dry ingredients to form a gloopy mixture. Pop it into a loaf tin (or you could make muffins) and bake at 180 C for about an hour. You want to top to be a deep golden colour but the middle to be rich and moist.

Do you have a go-to winter warmer recipe that you reach for at this time of year? What gets you through the long dark days?