Banana bread, like raisin toast, is a bit of an institution here in Melbourne. Most cafes have their own variety, and they range from dark and gingerbread-like, to banana cake in a loaf shape, to light and luscious varieties.

The cafe at the back of the building I work in – SMXL, sells the most wonderful coconut banana bread – it comes in inch thick slices and is pale, moist, unctious, and positively tropical tasting! They serve it toasted with too much butter. Perfection.

A while back I worked hard trying to figure out how SMXL made their banana bread. And this is the recipe that I’ve come up with. I’m pretty happy with it – it has just the right texture and taste. My colleagues agree that I’ve gotten the recipe pretty close.

Now that it’s getting cooler, it’s a good time to have delicious warm toasty coconut banana bread around the house. It also freezer is extremely well, so I like to take it in slices and have it in the freezer at work for desperate moments.

I went to Queen Victoria market this morning, and while looking for bananas, found a few that I just couldn’t resist. You don’t often see banana twins, but here are three!

Half of them I will use in smoothies, with almond milk and almond butter, because that is really delicious. But the other half is going into my moist banana coconut bread. Now that I think of it, a banana almond butter smoothie with a slice of banana coconut bread would be the complete breakfast.

Cut into inch-sick slices, this banana bread recipe makes about 12 servings.

Moist Coconut Banana Bread

ingredients

2 cups self raising flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup thread coconut
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
100g melted butter
2 eggs
3 mashed bananas (only just ripe)
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

mixing

Combine the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients in separate bowls. Make a well in the dry mix, pour the wet mix into this and mix gently until just combined. Don’t overmix!

Pour into a deep loaf pan (25cm x10cm) lined with baking paper.

Bake at 180 degrees C for about 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

This loaf (assuming you don’t guts the lot on the first day) will keep for up to a week in an airtight container in the fridge and freezes perfectly.

Enjoy! xxx