Banana Cake
from Betty Crocker's Picture Cookbook, 1950s edition
Fresh ripe bananas are the main flavoring in this old fashioned cake. This is a perfect dessert for a spring tea or anytime of year.
Betty Crocker suggests this for serving the cake: Use whipped cream and sliced bananas for filling and spread whipped cream over top of cake. Place slices of banana upright around outer edge.
Other suggestions: Finish with a cream cheese or chocolate frosting and sprinkle 2 tablespoons finely chopped walnuts on top of frosting if desired, or simply top with a dollop of whipped cream and decorate with fresh banana slices.
FG: I didn't think the cream cheese frosting brought this cake to its full potential, although it wasn't bad. If it included spices like carrot cake does, the frosting may have worked better. Try dusting with confectioner's sugar and serving with Betty's suggestion of whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream, and fresh sliced bananas; this may turn a good everyday cake into something spectacular. I added a full cup of nuts instead of 1/2 cup - the 1/2 cup would have been plenty. Try chopping them fine.
For 2 9" layers or |
For 2 8" layers or |
Ingredient |
| 1/2 cup 1 1/2 cups 2 large (1/2 c) 2 cups 1/4 tsp. 3/4 tsp. 1 tsp. 1/4 cup 1 cup (about 3 lg) 1/2 cup |
3/8 cup 1 1/8 cups 2 (1/3 c) 1 1/2 cups 1/4 tsp.(scant) 1/2 tsp. 3/4 tsp. 3 Tbsp. 3/4 cup (about 2 lg) 3/8 cup |
soft shortening sugar eggs sifted flour baking powder baking soda salt buttermilk mashed ripe bananas chopped nuts, if desired |
Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease and flour the baking pans.
Cream together the shortening and sugar until fluffy. Beat the eggs in thoroughly.
Sift together the dry ingredients and stir in alternately with the buttermilk, bananas and nuts. Add in the flour first and last.
Pour into prepared pans. Bake layers 25 to 30 minutes (square or oblong 35 - 45 minutes) until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean. The cake should be starting to pull away from the sides of the pan and will spring back when lightly touched with the fingertip (no imprint will remain).
Remove from the oven and let stand in pan(s) 10 minutes. Then carefully loosen from one side with spatula. Tip and turn to let in air. Turn cake on wire cooking rack so it will not "sweat" and become soggy. Place another cooling rack on top and flip so the cake is right side up. If baking the cake in an oblong or square pan, you may leave the cake in the pan, but cool on a wire rack.
