Banana Gingerbread with Molasses

Ingredients

• 113 g unsalted butter
• 240 g extra ripe bananas (about 2 large)
• 2 large eggs
• 150 g soft brown sugar
• 95 g unsulphured molasses
• 1 tsp vanilla paste or extract
• 250 g all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 240 g hot boiled water
• 1 banana (optional)
• Turbinado sugar (optional)

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 356 °F (176°C). Grease and line a 9x5-inch (23 x 16cm) loaf pan.

2. 2

   Melt the butter in a large bowl. Add in the bananas and mash them well. Add the sugar, vanilla, egg, and molasses and whisk until combined.

3. 3

   Whisk together the flour, spices, salt, and baking soda in a separate bowl.

4. 4

   Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture and whisk together until combined.

5. 5

   Pour over the hot water and stir it carefully until combined into a pourable cake batter. There will be lumps from the mashed banana and that's okay.

6. 6

   Pour the batter into a prepared loaf pan.

7. 7

   Slice the extra banana lengthwise and place the sliced banana on top of the batter. Sprinkle with a little turbinado sugar.

8. 8

   Bake in a preheated oven for approximately 60 minutes until cooked through and a knife inserted in the loaf comes out clean.

9. 9

   Remove the loaf from the oven and allow it to cool in the pan for 5 minutes.

10. 10

    Lift it from the pan and allow it to cool further on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before slicing.