By Stephen Kaindo

In Ngong, Diana Ng’ang’a is teaching families how to earn from the overripe bananas wasted in Kenyan marketplaces, by baking cakes that sell for up to Sh450 per 600-gram loaf.

The World Resources Institue last month reported that Kenya loses from 7 per cent to 11 per cent of all the bananas it harvests to waste. That is equivalent to up to 200,000 tonnes of its annual 1.9m tonnes produced.

“I witness a lot of people, including my neighbours, throwing away overripe bananas and their peels,” said Diana. “They see rotten fruit, but I see a delicious cake and nourishment for my garden from the composted banana skins.”

When Diana began experimenting in using the food waste to make an income, she found an overripe banana’s blackened peel shows it is at maximum sweetness and flavour rather than. 

She buys the cheap, blackened bananas from nearby merchants, and then mashes them and blends the batter carefully. 

“As too-old baking powder won’t let the cake rise, I avoid using it. Additionally, I use really ripe bananas for the best natural wetness and sweetness. Bananas that are ‘just-ripe’ lack the same deep flavor,” she said.

The cake is only part of the system. Diana keeps the banana peels, places them in a bucket with water and soil, and lets them decompose. “In a few weeks, I’ll have the best compost for my backyard garden and flowers. The plants adore it,” she said. 

“The peel is not waste; it is a resource. More food for my family can be made when it returns to the soil and I use the money I make from selling the cakes to buy other food, spices, and fruits for my kitchen,” she said.

She is now teaching local children how to make the cakes too. “Teaching kids how to do things that will enable their parents earn extra cash is what I most enjoy doing,” she said. “It’s not just about the money; it’s about teaching them creativity, responsibility, and that no resource is too small to be valuable.”

Banana cakes can be made with maize or cassava flour, and with and without an oven, as below:

Simple Banana Bread

Ingredients:

• 3–4 very ripe bananas (the softer the better)
  
• 2 cups maize or cassava flour
  
• ½ cup sugar (or honey)
  
• ½ cup cooking oil
  
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
  
• A pinch of salt
  
• ½ cup warm water
  

Method:

1. Mash the bananas well in a large bowl
   
2. Add sugar and oil and mix.
   
3. Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl.
   
4. Combine the dry ingredients with the banana mixture, stirring slowly.
   
5. Add warm water a little at a time until the mixture is thick but pourable – about the same thickness as uji batter.
   
6. Grease a sufuria with oil and line the bottom with paper or a clean banana leaf.
   
7. Pour in the mixture and cover the sufuria tightly with a lid.
   
8. Cook over very low charcoal heat, with a few pieces of charcoal also placed on the lid, for about 45–55 minutes.
   
9. Test with a clean stick – if it comes out dry, it’s ready.
   
10. Cool before cutting to prevent it from crumbling.
    

Result:

Soft, slightly dense, sweet bread with a pleasant banana aroma. It tastes almost like cake and is perfect with tea or porridge.

If you add a spoon of yoghurt, sour milk, or lemon juice, it makes it even softer.

Oven-Baked Banana Bread

Ingredients:

• 3 large ripe bananas (mashed)
  
• 2 cups maize or cassava flour (fine, not coarse)
  
• 2 eggs
  
• ½ cup sugar (brown or white)
  
• ½ cup cooking oil or melted butter
  
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
  
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
  
• A pinch of salt
  
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon (optional for flavour)
  
• ½ cup milk, yoghurt, or water – just enough for a thick batter
  

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease a loaf tin with oil or butter.
   
2. Mash the bananas in a bowl until smooth.
   
3. Add sugar, eggs, and oil, and mix well.
   
4. In another bowl, combine cassava flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
   
5. Pour the dry ingredients into the banana mixture and stir gently.
   
6. Add milk or water a little at a time until the batter is thick but pourable – slightly heavier than cake batter.
   
7. Pour into the prepared tin and smooth the top.
   
8. Bake for 45–50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
   
9. Cool for 15–20 minutes before removing from the tin.
   

Results:

A soft, golden loaf with a natural sweetness from the bananas and a light, smooth texture from cassava flour. It keeps well for up to three days at room temperature or a week in the fridge.