Banana bread with apricots.

No worries if you have a bunch of bananas past its prime sitting on the kitchen counter. I usually freeze mine - skin and all in a bag until I am ready to bake a loaf of banana bread. So I am ready whenever the I feel the need to bake :)



I have been going through the cookbooks I have accumulated ( instead of being tempted to buy more - but then again I am sure that will happen one of these days) and I must say that Nigella Lawson's recipes always delivers. The apricots helps the loaf stay moist for a few days.


Banana bread with apricots
1/2 cup chopped apricots
1/3 cup orange juice
1 1/3 cups plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
120 mg unsalted butter - melted
3/4 cup sugar
zest of 1 orange
2 eggs
1 cup mashed bananas
1/2 cup walnuts - chopped
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Bring orange juice to a boil, turn off heat and add chopped apricots to it, set aside.
Line a 26cm by 11 cm loaf pan ( medium sized loaf pan) with parchment paper and set aside.
Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt - set aside.

Cream butter and sugar for 5 minutes. Add in orange zest and eggs, beat well. Add in sifted flour, apricots with juice, chopped walnuts and mix until combined. Pour dough into prepared load pan and bake in a preheated oven ( 350 degrees) for one hour or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool on a rack.