Prep 15minBake 50minMakes 12 serves

This banana bread is heaven. The addition of coconut oil adds a wonderful richness and heavenly aroma that you won’t be able to resist. This loaf also keeps well and becomes more moist and flavoursome with time, so try not to eat it all at once! It's wonderful served on its own or toasted and spread with butter or ricotta and drizzled with honey.

Ingredients

Melted coconut oil, to grease
240g (1½ cups) wholemeal spelt flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
70g (1 cup) shredded coconut
100g (½ cup) coconut oil, at room temperature
180g (1 cup) coconut palm sugar
1 egg
2 large (about 200g each) very ripe bananas
130g (½ cup) Greek-style natural yoghurt

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Grease a 21 x 10.5cm (base measurement) loaf pan with the melted coconut oil and line the base and two long sides with one piece of non-stick baking paper. 
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl, returning any husks to the flour mixture. Stir in the coconut. 
3. Use an electric mixer to beat the coconut oil and sugar in a mixing bowl until well combined (it will look like wet sand). Add the egg and beat well, scraping down the sides of the bowl if necessary. Mash the bananas, add to the coconut mixture with the yoghurt and beat until well combined. Add the dry ingredients and beat on low speed until just combined.
4. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin. Use the back of a spoon to smooth the surface and then tap the tin lightly on the benchtop to settle the mixture. Bake in preheated oven for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Stand in the tin for 5 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool. Serve in slices.

This recipe is from Anneka's SBS Food online column, Bakeproof: Coconut.

CLICK HERE for more Bakeproof recipes.

Photography by Alan Benson.