This is an easy banana bread recipe that gives perfect results every time. It uses up loads of bananas – the blacker the better. This cake is made with butter, but if banana spinach smoothie’re looking for a quicker oil-based easy banana bread, we’ve got you covered. Bananas are often sold still green but will ripen to yellow.

Avoid storing bananas near ripe fruit as they release a lot of ethylene, which will cause the other fruit to ripen further. Lemon or lime juice, natural yoghurt or soured cream all bring out the natural sweetness of ripe bananas, especially in fools, drinks, mousses and ice creams. Lemon juice or acidulated water help prevent sliced bananas from browning in trifles and pancakes. Bananas are excellent cooked as fritters, flambéed, or simmered in coconut milk. Rum, orange, cardamon, toffee, vanilla, and chocolate are popular pairings. Mashed bananas give a moist, chewy texture to cakes and muffins. Over-ripe, chocolate-skinned bananas can be used in banana bread or ice cream, but add extra lemon to the latter before using.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Bananas provide a wealth of health benefits.

Bananas are packed with nutrients and provide a wide variety of health benefits. Can you eat too many bananas? Are green bananas good for you? A wide variety of health benefits are associated with the curvy yellow fruit.

Bananas are high in potassium and pectin, a form of fiber, said Laura Flores, a San Diego-based nutritionist. They can also be a good way to get magnesium and vitamins C and B6. Bananas are known to reduce swelling, protect against developing Type 2 diabetes, aid in weight loss, strengthen the nervous system and help with production of white blood cells, all due to the high level of vitamin B6 that bananas contain,” Flores told Live Science. Bananas are high in antioxidants, which can provide protection from free radicals, which we come into contact with every day, from the sunlight to the lotion you put on your skin,” Flores added. Bananas are also good for your heart. They are packed with potassium, a mineral and electrolyte, which carries a small electric charge.