Banana bread is one of the nation’s most-loved bakes thanks to its simplicity and deliciousness.

Need to use up blackened bananas festering in the fruit bowl? Chuck them together with flour, sugar and eggs to make the perfect loaf.

If you’re someone who loves banana bread just as much as I do, you’ll know one of the best recipes out there is Mary Berry’s. I’ve been using the foolproof recipe for years: it’s delicious cut into thick slices with the addition of chocolate chips.

But I’ve discovered a new recipe that even I think gives Mary’s banana bread a run for its money, thanks to a secret ingredient that creates a moist yet firm loaf: lemon juice.

The recipe is from the Table Manners cookbook, by podcast hosts and mother-and-daughter duo Jessie Ware and Lennie Ware.

On their Table Manners podcast, they famously made the banana bread for celebrities such as Gary Barlow and David Schwimmer.

Having purchased the cookbook, I decided to give the recipe a go – and I wasn’t disappointed.

The addition of dark chocolate makes the loaf delicious, while the lemon juice balances out the sweetness, and stops it from going too dry.

Banana loaf can also burn quickly, while the middle remains undercooked and gooey.

This recipe, which serves eight people, suggests serving it on its own, toasted with butter and cinnamon or even served with ice cream as a dessert.

Ingredients

280g plain flour

One teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda

110g unsalted butter (and extra for greasing)

220g caster sugar

Four ripe bananas

Two eggs

80ml milk

One teaspoon of vanilla extract

100g of dark chocolate or chocolate chips

Method

After lining a loaf tin with some parchment paper, I preheated the oven to 200C (180C fan or gas six).

I then popped the dry ingredients – the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt – into a sieve and to sift it over a large mixing bowl.

Taking another bowl, I mashed the bananas together roughly with a fork (you can also use a potato masher), making sure to leave some larger chunks. This was really quick to do and only took a couple of minutes. I then put this bowl to one side.

Next up, it was time to cream the butter and sugar. I did this by hand, which isn’t recommended. If you have an electric whisk, it should only take a few minutes.

To cream butter and sugar correctly, make sure the butter is softened and slowly increase the speed until the mixture is pale and fluffy.

Then add the eggs, milk and vanilla to the bananas and mix well.

Now it’s time to add all the ingredients together. I folded the flour mixture slowly into the banana mix using a figure of eight motion. I did this until everything was combined and there were no pockets of flour left.

Next up, take the bar of chocolate still in its packet and bash it against the counter top or use a rolling pin until it is nicely broken up. Alternatively, you can use dark chocolate chips, which is what I did instead: it speeds up the process.

Add the chocolate chips or pieces to the banana mixture and give everything a good stir. Pour into your loaf tin and bake for around 45 to 55 minutes until risen and golden brown on top.

Banana loaf can sometimes remain undercooked in the middle, so take a skewer and test the centre: it should be moist and gooey but not dripping with the cake mixture.

Remember not to overcook the loaf or it will turn dry. Leave to cool before slicing and serving – and enjoy!

I had my loaf still warm from the oven with a cup of tea to enjoy the melted chocolate chips, but this would go nicely with butter or ice cream too.