Banana & strawberry Loaf Cake

It’s official: I’m in my baking girl era.

Banana and Strawberry Loaf Cake

And honestly? I never saw this coming. I used to hate baking - I had zero patience for following recipes to the letter, and the mess? Absolutely not. But somehow, somewhere between raising a three-year-old and a one-year-old (which clearly didn’t bless me with the patience of a saint), I’ve fallen in love with it.

Now I bake for everything: a midweek dessert, a celebration, or just a little gift to brighten someone’s day. It’s become my go-to comfort ritual.

Here’s the funny part - this recipe came straight from ChatGPT. No shame here! I had some bananas and strawberries on their last legs, and all I had was a bread tin. So, I improvised… with AI.

What came out was a super simple, cupboard-staple kind of bake that was moist, sweet, and genuinely one of the best banana-strawberry combos I’ve tried. Definitely a keeper and one for the books and the blog.

If you’ve got some overripe fruit to burn and want something that feels special but doesn’t demand a ton of effort, this is your sign to bake it. You won't regret it.

Ingredients:

• 120g (½ cup) unsalted butter, softened

• 100g (½ cup) sugar (light brown or caster)

• 2 ripe bananas, mashed (about 200g)

• 2 large eggs

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 180g (1½ cups) plain flour

• 1 tsp baking powder

• ½ tsp baking soda

• Pinch of salt

• 100g fresh strawberries, chopped into small pieces (about ¾ cup)

• Optional: ½ tsp cinnamon or ¼ tsp ground cardamom

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 170°C (340°F) and grease & line a loaf tin (about 8x4 in or 2lb size).

2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until soft and fluffy.

3. Add mashed bananas and mix well (it might look a little separated - that's okay).

4. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla.

5. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt (and cinnamon if using).

6. Add dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir until just combined - don't overmix.

7. Gently fold in the chopped strawberries (coat them lightly in a spoonful of flour first to stop them sinking)

8. Pour into the prepared tin and smooth the top.

   
   

9. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until golden and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. If it browns too quickly, cover loosely with foil near the end.

   
   

10. Cool in the tin for 10-15 minutes, then remove to a rack.

Chatgpt recipe