Banana and coconut slice

 I recently had International Food day at work so I was musing over what to bring.  I came across this gorgeous little recipe which I tweaked slightly to use the ingredients that were currently in my pantry. 

You could use almost any fruit for this recipe, which makes it very versatile but because of the lovely coconut it lends itself to tropical fruits.  It also has a delicious buttery crumb.

Ingredients

• 1 ripe banana
• 250g butter (at room temperature), cubed
• 1 cup caster sugar
• 5 eggs
• 1 cup plain flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 cup desiccated coconut
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

1. Using a beater beat the butter and sugar until pale and creamy.
2. Add the eggs one a time beating after each addition.
3. Sift the flour and baking powder separately in a bowl.
4. Fold into the butter mixture.
5. Fold in the desiccated coconut and vanilla essence.
6. Spoon the mixture into a prepared tin, lined with baking paper.
7. Slice the bananas diagonally and place on top.  Press the fruit down slightly into the mixture.
8. Bake at 180 degrees for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.

I like to serve this with a dollop of crème or vanilla ice cream as it comes piping hot out of the oven.