A good banana bread is easy to make which is perhaps why it’s become a staple in every home baker's repertoire.

Loved for its intense flavour and minimal ingredients, banana bread is the perfect blend of cake and a sweet bread.

And it’s what makes it so versatile according to Helen Rothwell, a member of the BBC Good Food community.

Sharing her clever recipe for this fruity bake online, Helen described her egg and dairy-free recipe as “the perfect breakfast treat to enjoy with your morning cuppa”.

While delicious on its own, she suggested that the versatile loaf can also be served sliced and toasted with a slathering of peanut butter on top.

Banana bread recipe

Ingredients

Three large black bananas

75ml vegetable oil or sunflower oil, plus extra for the tin

100g brown sugar

225g plain flour (or use self-raising flour and reduce the baking powder to two heaped tsp)

Three heaped tsp baking powder

Three tsp cinnamon or mixed spice

50g dried fruit or nuts (optional)

Method

Unlike many banana bread recipes, this one relies on black bananas rather than those that are just spotted brown or slightly overripe.

This is important to follow as the fruit is responsible for binding together the mixture in the absence of eggs, said Helen.

She said that using black bananas that are still edible (not mouldy or rotten), creates a “beautifully moist” texture when baked.

Before making the batter, heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Mash the three large, black peeled bananas with a fork, then mix well with 75g vegetable or sunflower oil and 100g brown sugar.

Add 225g plain flour followed by three heaped teaspoons of baking powder and three teaspoons of cinnamon or mixed spice, and combine well.

Now sprinkle in 50g dried fruit or nuts, if using, then prepare a 2lb loaf tin by greasing it with some oil.

Carefully transfer the cake mixture into the tin and cook in the oven for 20 minutes. Check at the 20-minute mark and cover with foil if the cake is browning too much.

Return the banana loaf to the oven for another 20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Allow the banana bread to cool a little before slicing. Helen said: “It's delicious freshly baked, but develops a lovely gooey quality the day after.”