Banana muffins

Ingredients

• 75g/3oz melted butter
• 250g/9oz self-raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• pinch of salt
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• 115g/4oz caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 large, ripe bananas
• 2 medium eggs
• 125ml/4fl oz milk
• 10 walnut kernels (optional)

To serve

• 2 bananas, sliced
• 50g/2oz walnut kernels
• 2 tbsp crème fraïche or yoghurt
• 2 tbsp runny honey

Method

1. Heat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5. Melt the butter and allow to cool. Mash the bananas well. Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg together in a large bowl, add caster sugar and stir through.

2. With a fork, beat together the eggs, vanilla extract, melted butter and milk in a second bowl. Add the mashed banana and stir through.

3. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the egg mixture, stirring roughly with a fork (don't over mix) until it is a lumpy paste.

4. Set paper cases into the moulds, or grease the moulds well with a little extra oil or butter and spoon in the mixture until almost full. Top each one with a walnut kernel if you like.

5. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the muffins come away from the side of the pan when touched. Rest the muffin tray on a wire rack for five minutes then remove the muffins and leave on the rack for another five minutes before serving.

6. Serve the muffins with sliced banana and a dollop of creme fraiche, scattered with walnuts and drizzled with honey (or with Caramel yoghurt).