BANANA POUND CAKE

When I needed a recipe for a dessert to take to the thrift shop this week, I chose one that had caught my eye last week because my bananas had ripen to much for my taste. My husband can eat them ripe but I like mine firm and almost green. Whenever they ripen faster than he can eat them, I start looking for recipes for bananas.

This Banana Pound Cake recipe is one from a "new" cookbook I got at a garage sale last Friday called Southern Living Homestyle Cooking. It was contributed by Evelyn Criswell Bread from the Brook from The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Al. She says the more ripe your bananas are, the sweeter it tastes. The volunteers really liked it (and so did Wayne and me).

Click here for a printable version of just the recipe.

BANANA POUND CAKE

1-1/2       cups shortening
2             cups sugar
4             large eggs
2             cups mashed ripe bananas
1/3          cup buttermilk
1             teaspoon vanilla extract
3             cups flour
1-1/4       teaspoons baking soda
1/4          teaspoon salt
1/2          cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10 - inch tube pan. Set aside.

Beat shortening at medium speed with an electric mixer for 2 minutes or until creamy. (Don't forget to scrape the sides of the bowl often.)

Gradually add sugar, beating 5 to 7 minutes.

Add eggs, 1 at a time,

beating just until yellow disappears. 

Combine bananas, buttermilk, and vanilla in a small mixing bowl.

Combine flour, soda, and salt in another bowl.

Add the two mixtures to the shortening mixture alternately, starting with flour (3 times - 1/3) and

then banana/buttermilk mixture (twice - 1/2) and so forth until all mixed;

mixing at low speed after each addition just until blended.

Stir in pecans.

Spoon batter into pan and bake for 1-1/2 hours or until wooden toothpick comes out clean when inserted in center.

(I took mine out of the oven after 75 minutes.)

Cool in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes. Remove cake from pan and cool completely on wire rack. (I ran a knife around the insides edges of the pan to loosen the cake first.)

I baked mine the night before and covered it in a sealed cake cover. Then I sprinkled some powdered sugar on top before I cut it.