Not only is Duchess Meghan a proud feminist and fashion icon, but she’s also a whizz in the kitchen.
As part of their royal tour, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had afternoon tea with a family of fifth-generation farmers in Dubbo and Meghan baked a fresh loaf of banana bread in the Admiralty House kitchens to bring as a gift.
Since then, the world has gone bananas…quite literally! But according to The Weekly‘s food director Frances Abdallaoui, the global banana bread craze was in full swing even before Meghan’s humble home baked offering.
“Banana is after all the world’s number one fruit and making banana bread is the perfect use for over-ripe bananas. The reference to bread is somewhat misleading though, it’s really just a cake in a loaf pan albeit not quite so sweet,” she says.
If Duchess Meghan’s baking has inspired you, we at The Weekly have the perfect recipe to copy Her Royal Highness.
Presenting the Duchess of Sussex’s banana bread. (Image: Getty Images/Twitter @RE_DailyMail)
Like many things she does, Duchess Meghan put her own spin on banana bread with some additional ingredients.
“The Duchess of Sussex’s version of banana bread is a triumph,” says Frances.
“I love that she’s added chocolate chips and a hint of ginger, which I’m sure our Aussie ginger farmers would be applauding.”
“The Australian Women’s Weekly Test Kitchen has nailed the perfect banana bread recipe and to emulate the Duchess of Sussex, stir through 2 tablespoons of finely chopped crystallised ginger (or 1 to 2 teaspoons of ground ginger) and ⅓ cup dark chocolate chips into the batter.”
Take a look at the recipe below.
Banana bread fit for a Duchess! (IMAGE CREDITS: Photography James Moffatt; Styling Olivia Blackmore and Kate Brown.)
How to make Duchess Meghan’s banana bread
Prep and cook time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Serves 8
INGREDIENTS
125g (4oz) butter, softened
1 cup (220g) firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1½ cups (400g) mashed ripe banana
¼ cup (60ml) maple syrup
1⅔ cups (250g) plain (all-purpose) flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt flakes
½ cup (25g) coarsely chopped roasted walnuts
2 tablespoons of finely chopped crystallised ginger (or 1 to 2 teaspoons of ground ginger)
⅓ cup dark chocolate chips
Recipe continues after video…
METHOD
1) Preheat oven to 160°C/325°F. Grease a 13cm x 26cm (5¼in x 10½in), 2-litre (8-cup) loaf pan; line with baking paper.
2) Beat butter, sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until paler and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until just combined, then mashed banana and maple syrup.
3) Sift over flour, baking powder, soda, cinnamon and salt. Add the walnuts, chocolate chips and ginger and stir with a large spoon until combined.
4) Spoon into pan; smooth the surface. Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave in pan for 10 minutes before turning, top-side up, onto a wire rack to cool.
We thought we’d give HRH’s recipe a go and it went down a treat at Now To Love HQ!
Reckon it’s as good as the Duchess’s? (Image: Supplied)
It went down a treat! (Image: Supplied)
Our triple tested AWW Test Kitchen recipe is from our recent cookbook Baking Basics, available from where all good books are sold and online here.
