White Chocolate, Strawberry, Banana Bread

I am eager for further blue skies and sunny days, fluttering carelessly along balmy breezes, butterflies showing off their magnificent colours in my garden attracted by a buddleia shrub. To me this suggests summertime where P.Y.O. (pick your own) strawberries are literally in abundance just down the road from me. I love to incorporate strawberries in bakes and desserts as much as possible, not forgetting a good few jars of strawberry conserve. P.Y.O. strawberries are just perfect for this and one or two may just slip into my mouth just to taste for ripeness, you understand! *Giggle*

This leads me onto my recent bake that I can’t wait to share with you! I’ve had this idea for a while now to include white chocolate and strawberries in banana bread. You can imagine just how moist the crumb is from the mashed banana and speckled throughout with white chocolate and slices of strawberries. For me it is perfect served just as it is, on the other hand, take it to another level for that utter luxuriousness and serve a slice spread with strawberry conserve, softly whipped cream and a few sliced strawberries dusted over with icing sugar.

White Chocolate, Strawberry, Banana Bread

Serves 10 -12

Ingredients
275g (10 oz) plain flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
100g (4 oz) brown sugar
100g (4 oz) caster sugar
100g (4 oz) butter, softened
2 eggs
120 ml (approx 4½ fl oz) sour cream
½ tsp vanilla extract
3 medium bananas, peeled and mashed
150g (5 oz) ripe strawberries, hulled and chopped
100g (4 oz) white chocolate chunks or chips

You will need 13cm x 23cm (5in x 9in) loaf tin, lightly buttered and lined with parchment paper.

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/350°F/Gas mark 4. Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder together in a large bowl. Add both sugars and the softened butter, using your finger tips rub the butter in until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. In another large bowl, whisk the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla extract together. Add the mashed bananas, chopped strawberries and white chocolate chunks. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet mixture. Gently but thoroughly bring all the ingredients together with a wooden spoon, and then pour into the prepared loaf tin. Smooth the top, and bake in the preheated oven for 1 -1¼ hours or until a skewer interested into the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing from the tin and leave to cool on a wire rack.

Do I have you salivating at the prospect of dipping your fork into a slice of sweet nectar? Don’t just take my word for just how good this tastes; this is a definite bake that needs to be recreated, sliced and eaten as you drift away on a cloud to nirvana!