Well, I’ll tell you. It doesn’t over heat the entire kitchen in the summer. It also means you’re using less power by not switching on the main oven. But does it bake?

It was a wet and stormy day and I had nothing better to do. Plus, I had three bananas that were overripe and in my mind too squishy to eat as is.  I had been reading about slow cookers and what other weird things you could do with them. Baking seems a little peculiar, but apparently slow cookers are not the exclusive realm of curry and stew. I was a little sceptical, but lets see how it went shall we?

Banana walnut bread with Maple cream cheese icing.

I’m not really a sweet tooth these days, savoury fair is my preference, but occasionally a little sugar indulgence is necessary. This banana walnut bread is not that sweet and if you choose to ice it with the cream cheese mix, it has a very pleasant tartness too. The bread (cake actually) comes out moist and sticky, a little more like a steamed pudding. It’s a little crumbly to cut on the first day but seems to get more moist the day after and holds up better. Goes well with a cup of coffee…

Slow Cooker Banana Walnut Bread

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1.5 hours
Total Time: 2 hours
Yield: 8-10 Servings

Ingredients
2 Eggs
1/2 Cup Butter (softened)
3/4 Cup Sugar
2 Cups Flour
2 level Teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
3 Medium Bananas Mashed
1 Cup Chopped Walnuts or Pecans (optional)
1 tsp cinnamon

Instructions
In a bowl, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, beat in eggs one at a time until combined.
Add in baking powder, salt and 1 cup flour. Sift into mix and stir gently.
Add in last cup of flour (sifted into mix also). Mixture will be thick.
Mash Bananas well and then add to mixture along with the remaining ingredients.

Line your crock with baking/parchment paper and pour mixture in. Drape a tea towel over the top of the crock and place the lid on top. (This keeps the cake dry from moisture dripping off the lid). Cook for 1.5 hours on high. The top will be slightly brown. Bread will bounce back to the touch and a clean toothpick poked into the cake middle will come out clean when the cake is done. Timing varies with the size of the slow cooker and each one has its own quirks. You may need to be present the first time you make this. Rotating the insert 90′ every half hour helps prevent burning if your cooker has a hot spot. When the cake is cool, spread the icing and enjoy!

Maple cheese topping/icing

• 250g/8 ounces cream cheese (such as Philadelphia), room temperature
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/3 cups icing/powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup

Cream the butter and sugar together, add cream cheese (chopped in chunks) and continue beating until combined. Add maple syrup and stir again. Spread the icing on the banana bread.

Thin sliced and iced.

Enjoy!

Kind regards,

J