Italian Breakfast Banana Bread

You know the story.  Bananas going ripe.  Must make banana bread.  Especially as the weather is getting cooler.  I did have a day of "I'm totally going to freeze the remaining bananas for smoothies" but then I got over it.  Next time, I promise.  In the meantime, there's Nigella's Italian breakfast banana bread.  Which can be consumed at any time of day, thankfully.

Ingredients:
150mL flavourless vegetable oil
3 medium bananas, very ripe (about 400g with skin on, 300g without)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
pinch salt
2 eggs
150g caster sugar
175g plain flour
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
4 teaspoons instant espresso powder

Method:
Place a baking sheet in the oven, and preheat to 170C.  Line a loaf tin with baking paper or lightly oil it.
Mash the bananas with the vanilla and salt, then beat in the oil.
Beat in the eggs, one by one, followed by the sugar.
Mix the flour with the bicarb and espresso powder, and beat these dry ingredients into the runny batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin, then pop it into the oven, on the baking sheet.  Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until slightly coming away at the sides and bulgingly risen.  A cake tester should come out clean, barring the odd crumb.  Leave for at least half a day before slicing into it.  Really.

I made this one evening, so my whole house smelt deliciously of baking the whole evening.  It is really quick and easy to whip up, too.  Mine didn't rise 'bulgingly' though, and after leaving it in the oven overnight (yes I turned it off) it had sunk a little, so it was wider rather than higher.  No matter - it was still deliciously moist and banana-y.  Nigella recommends chocolate spread (yum! - but not a good thing for me) or mascarpone sprinkled with  cinnamon.  I went with quark sprinkled with cinnamon.  Yum.  And I was really really good - I sliced the leftovers and put them in the freezer for later.  Sorry for all the smug vibes permeating the blogosphere.