Afternoon tea for a hard working gardener

I have been very busy in the garden this long Labour weekend, weeding, composting, and planting. I got up early this morning and I made this totally epic banana cacao maple bread - as afternoon tea for a hard workin gardener. Its nourishing, full of bananery cacao energy, not too sweet but a real treat at the same time. It’s my own recipe that I have adapted over last 15 years - I swear it gets better every time.

Banana, Cacao, Maple bread

130g Butter

160g Rapadura sugar (or another brown sugar)

4 ripe fairtrade or organic bananas mashed

2 eggs

1t Vanilla extract

1t Cinnamon

265g Spelt flour

1t baking powder

3/4t bicarb of soda

4T milk of your choice I use raw milk but you can use plant based, warmed

a large handful Cacao paste buttons roughly chopped

Maple syrup to glaze

Preheat the oven to 170c. Grease a loaf tin and line with baking paper. Cream your butter and sugar until smooth and creamy. Beat in the mashed banana, then add eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, and mix well. Sift the flour and baking powder into the wet ingredients. Add the baking soda to the warm milk, pour into the mixture and fold through until well incorporated. Pour into loaf tin, press the cacao into the top of the mixture. Bake for 50m to 1 hour - or when a skewer comes out clean. When you get the loaf out of the oven drizzle maple syrup over the cacao crust. Let sit for 10 minutes then take out and rest on a wire rack. I know it’s really hard not to eat it straight away but its best to let it sit for a good 20 - 30 minuets before cutting it. Tuck in!