Recipe: Banana Bread with Rum, Coconut & Lime

"Banana bread is a great way to use up any extra or over-ripe bananas; this slightly tropical version works really well, especially topped with the lime water icing," so says Mercy Fenton in her weekly column. "Serve on its own, or with a hot drink."

Ingredients

240g cream flour

¾ tsp bread soda

½ tsp salt

200gr sugar

60gr butter

2 large free range eggs

230gr mashed banana

78gr Greek yogurt

3 tblsp dark or spiced rum

½ tsp vanilla extract

35gr dessicated coconut

Icing

Ingredients

Zest of 1 lemon

Juice of half a lemon

¾ to 1 cup of icing sugar - sifted

½ cup of shaved coconut.

Method:

• Butter the base and sides of a 2 lb loaf tin, line the base with a strip of parchment paper.
• Pre-heat the oven to 175C.
• Toast the coconut in the oven until it is golden (about 5 minutes) then set aside.
• Sift together the flour, bread soda and salt.
• Put the granulated sugar and butter in a bowl and beat together.
• Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition.
• Add the banana, yogurt, rum, and vanilla and mix well.
• Add the desiccated coconut, mix well and scrape into the prepared tin.
• Bake for an hour, check the centre with a skewer to make sure it’s cooked through.
• Once cooked, remove from the oven and allow to cool fully.
• Once the cake is fully cooled, make the icing.
• Whisk together the lemon juice and zest, then add ¼ cup of icing sugar at a time and mix until smooth and thick - but spreadable.
• Carefully spread over the top of the cake and sprinkle with toasted coconut.