I don't know about you, but I am a recipe hoarder. I cut them out of magazines and newspapers and file them in the pages of cookbooks or in between piles of old bills. Every once in a while, I will run across one of my treasures and will actually give it a try. Such was the case for this lucious Banana Pound Cake. I had actually cut it out of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune several years ago, tucked it away and forgot about. When I re-found (is that a word?) it a couple of months ago, the list of ingredients really sounded good---bananas (of course) with a little ginger and little orange zest. It turns out this one is a keeper. I have made it several times now, and I like it so much better than a banana bread. This is truly a pound cake, but lighter in flavor and texture than some (think Sara Lee) At any rate, here it is:
Banana Pound Cake (adapted from the Star-Tribune)
Printable Recipe
Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 medium, very ripe bananas, mashed not too smooth with a fork (3/4 cup)
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon freshly grated orange peel
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.; Spray 2 9x5 loaf pans with cooking spray and line with parchment paper, leaving an over-hang on the long sides of the pans.
Cream the butter in the large bowl of an electric mixer. Gradually add the sugar, beating at low speed, then increase the mixer speed to high and beat until pale and fluffy.
When you beat the heck out of the butter and the sugar, it will become a beautiful, light lemony color....
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well and scraping down the bowl sides after each addition. After all eggs are in, beat several minutes at high speed until the mixture is smooth and very pale. Beat in the bananas.
Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and ginger. combine the milk and vanilla. Beating at low speed, add the dry ingredients in thirds, alternating with the milk mixture. Stir in the orange peel.
(I'm a whisker, not a sifter...)
Pour the batter into 2 9x5 loaf pans, spreading evenly. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the cake pulls away slightly form the sides of the pan and a toothpick or cake tester inserted near the center---and nearly all the way down---comes out clean.
Have you seen this stuff? Love! I sprayed the pans, then lined with parchment and sprayed again.
Cool the cakes in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Loosen the sides with a knife, invert onto a rack, invert again and cool completely.
Certainly, you can bake this in a tube or a Bundt pan. If so, be careful not to overfill the pan--there may be a bit of batter left over. The bake time would be a bit longer as well, about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Cover with foil to prevent over-browning after about 45 minutes.
The hint of citrus and ginger is perfect!
If you really want to jazz it up, serve a couple slices with some ice cream, bananas, and homemade hot fudge. Need a recipe for the hot fudge? Find it right here:
Dark Chocolate Hot Fudge
Or add some strawberries and pineapple to make a banana pound cake split!