Take your banana bread to new heights with nature’s best sweetener, maple syrup. Pair it with some homemade maple butter to give that classic banana bread flavour a whole new scrumptious twist.

Serves – 1 whole loaf

Ingredients

FOR THE BANANA BREAD

• 1 stick of butter, for greasing
• 2 cups self-raising flour
• ¾ tsp bicarb soda (baking powder)
• 1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• Pinch of salt
• 4 overripe bananas
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ cup greek yoghurt
• 70g melted butter, cooled

FOR THE HOMEMADE MAPLE BUTTER

• 300ml pouring cream
• Dash of salt
• 1 tbsp maple syrup

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C (160C fan-forced).
2. Grease loaf tin and line with baking powder.
3. Sift flour, bicarb soda, sugar, cinnamon and salt into a large bowl.
4. Place the bananas in a medium mixing bowl and mash well with a fork.
5. Stir through eggs, maple syrup, vanilla, greek yoghurt and cooled butter until well combined.
6. Pour the banana mixture into the flour mixture and stir through to combine.
7. Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 1 hour, or until the skewer inserted into centre of the loaf comes out cleanly.
8. Remove loaf from oven and cool for 10 mins in tin.
9. Then, turn onto wire rack to cool completely.

Method: Maple butter

1. To make the maple butter place the cream, salt and maple syrup into a mixing bowl, use an electric mixer (with paddle attachment) or food processor and process on medium speed until liquids and solids separate. This should take around 8 minutes. Scrape down sides occasionally.
2. Pour off liquid and gently pat batter from one hand to the other to remove as much liquid as possible.
3. Pour into a serving bowl and serve with slices of warm or toasted banana bread. Delicious!