Avocado & Banana Bread

Classic banana bread has been given a delicious makeover! Avocado lends a gorgeous creaminess to this British bake that's free from refined sugar and great for breakfast on the go or as a lunchtime treat. Top this fruity loaf with fresh Greek yogurt, a sprinkling of orange zest and a drizzling of maple syrup to make it really sing.

The reason avocado is good for your eyes is the high amount of lutein that is found in it. Lutein is a carotenoid with reported anti-inflammatory properties. A large body of evidence shows that lutein has several beneficial effects, especially on eye health. In particular, lutein is known to improve or even prevent age-related macular disease which is the leading cause of blindness and vision impairment

Ingredients

• 3 very ripe bananas
• 1 avocado
• 30g (1oz) butter, softened
• 4 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 x 200g pack ground almonds
• 30g (1oz) milled flax seeds
• 100g Greek yogurt, to serve (optional)
• 1 orange, zested, to serve (optional)
• 1 tsp maple syrup, to serve (optional)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to gas 4, 180ºC, fan 160ºC. Line a 1kg (2lb) loaf tin with non-stick baking paper.
2. In a large bowl, smash together the bananas, avocado and butter.
3. Add the maple syrup, cinnamon, eggs, bicarbonate of soda and a pinch of salt. Mix thoroughly, then gently fold in the ground almonds and milled flax seeds.
4. Transfer the mixture into the loaf tin and bake for 1 hour – 1 1/4 hours, or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the cake.

* You may need to cover the cake with foil towards the end of cooking if it starts to brown too quickly.

Allow the cake to cool a little in the tin before turning out and slicing.

For the topping -  gently mix the Greek yogurt with the orange zest and maple syrup and serve alongside the banana bread, to drizzle over.