Banana Apple and Blueberry Loaf

Coming back from Christmas holidays, I wanted to use up some leftover fruit that I had in the house. 

As part of my magazine cull, I found a recipe for Banana Apple and Blueberry Loaf from p38 of an edition of Delicious magazine (it doesn't have the year, so I can't tell you when it's from).  When I searched for the recipe online, I found that it was by Shannon Bennett of Vue de Monde fame.  

That would explain the certain fussiness factor to making this cake.  I was making it at night after work, so I wasn't necessarily excited by all the steps, but it certainly made for a lovely cake which used up 2 frozen bananas, 2 leathery apples and some aging frozen blueberries that were taking up real estate in my house.

As you can see, the cake is lovely inside, and so moist.  I liked it a lot.

Now comes the confession - I messed around with the recipe a little to suit myself.  My version of the ingredients is as follows:

• 1 teaspoon  vanilla extract
  225g butter, softened
  1 cup white sugar
  2 ripe mashed bananas
  3 eggs
  2 apples, 1 grated and 1 thinly sliced
  125g crushed blueberries
  ½ cup wholemeal flour
  ¾ cup plain flour
  1¾ cup almond meal
  1 teaspoon cinnamon
  ½ teaspoon ginger½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  ½ teaspoon baking powder
  ¼ cup skim milk
  ¼ cup honey

I also adapted the method a little, as follows:

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius and grease a 24 x 12cm loaf tin.

In a stand mixer, beat the vanilla, 200g butter and sugar until creamy and light. Add the banana and eggs, one at a time.

On low, add the ginger, cinnamon, grated apple, blueberries, flours, almond meal, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and milk to the mixer bowl. Beat until well combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin.

Put the remaining 25g of butter and honey in a frypan over medium heat. Add apple slices. Cook 3-4 minutes, turning, until caramelised. Place on top of the loaf.

Bake in the pre-heated oven for 1 hour 15 minutes or until cooked through.

Slice and serve!