From Barb Seely – If you make this recipe, I absolutely guarantee that it will taste better and have a more tender crumb than the Banana Cake at the May ’26 meeting. After I put the pan in the oven, I noticed the butter was not added to the recipe. This is what happen when one multi-tasks a few steps too far.
This recipe yields a 9″ x 13″ cake, a 5″ by 9″ loaf or 12 muffins.
Preheat oven to 350.
Grease pan, loaf pan, or muffin tin.
Using a mixer, combine these ingredients:
- 1 c. mashed bananas
- 1 c. buttermilk, sour cream, or plain full fat yogurt
- 1/4 c. butter (1/2 stick), softened
- 1 c. sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
Add:
- 2 c. flour
- 1 t. baking powder
- 1 t. baking soda
- 1/4 t. salt
Mix until combined.
Pour into baking pan, loaf pan, or muffin tin cups. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean. In my oven, the 9” by 13” pan takes about 35 minutes, the loaf pan takes about 50 minutes, and the muffins take 20 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes and remove from loaf pan or muffin tin.
Tips: A friend’s grandmother told me long ago that quick breads/muffins should rest in their pan(s) on the kitchen counter for 20 minutes before going in the oven. If I have the time, I rest ‘em.
Gail Kromer has a great banana bread recipe, too. If the bananas for your recipe are not ripe enough (and they should be almost black), she recommends putting them on a parchment paper covered baking tray and baking at 300 degrees for about 20 minutes. I’ve used Gail’s tip on green bananas and that quick trip to the oven makes them perfect for banana recipes. Don’t be alarmed at their appearance—they will turn black. Barb Seely
Caramel Frosting
- 3/4 c. butter
- 1 c. light brown sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 1/4 c. sour cream
- 3 c. sifted powdered sugar 1 t. vanilla extract
Melt the butter, sugar, and salt in a saucepan over low heat. Stir without boiling for two minutes. Add the sour cream, bring to a boil. Immediately remove from heat and stir in the powdered sugar and vanilla. Let cool slightly—just a minute or two, then frost cooled cake. Enough frosting for a 9” by 13″ pan, or middle and top (not sides) of a 9” layer cake.