Cook the Superstar Sabotage Contest: Banana Bread

Banana Bread

Two slices of Banana Bread, one of which contains spread butter, on a small blue plate with white edging

In this week's latest installment of Cutthroat Kitchen: Superstar Sabotage, a seemingly approachable dessert, banana bread, was nearly insurmountable for Pastry Chef Elizabeth Falkner once she felt the full weight of her duo of sabotages: firm green bananas and the mandate to mix and cook the loaf in banana leaves. But for fans watching at home, classic banana bread is indeed doable, and it's one such recipe that surely all home cooks can — and should — master.

From school bake sales and simple family desserts to DIY holiday presents, Food Network's go-to Banana Bread recipe (pictured above) will prove useful time and again. The key to making this tried-and-true recipe is not overworking the batter; once you've incorporated the dry ingredients into the cinnamon-laced mashed bananas, the batter is complete and ready to bake. For an extra-special presentation, serve the sliced loaf with sweet honey or creamy vanilla ice cream once the bread has cooled.

Get the Recipe: Banana Bread

Tune in to Cutthroat Kitchen on Sunday at 10|9c, and don't miss the finale of Superstar Sabotage on Wednesday at 9|8c.

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