Father’s Day Banana Cake or Banana Bread: Something sweet for Dad

This is an evolving version of Banana Bread. It’s one of my personal recipe cards and has been tested in lunchrooms and family potlucks over the generations, from grandmothers to grandchildren. In general, men have been the most responsive. It’s a guy’s dessert. Might be worth baking up a recipe for your favorite Father’s Day person. It’s a keeper.

Banana Cake, 1990s

• ¾ cup butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 3 cups flour
• 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups bananas, ripe and mashed
• ¾ cup sour cream or yogurt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla nut and butter flavor (Superior Brand)
• or 1 teaspoon almond extract if using almonds
• 1 cup nuts, chopped (sliced almonds are my favorite)

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Sift the flour, baking soda and salt together in a separate bowl.

Combine the mashed bananas, sour cream or yogurt and extracts in a third bowl.

Add the banana mixture to the cream mixture alternately with the dry ingredients. Begin and end with the dry ingredients. Mix only until just moistened.

Fold in the nuts. Pour batter into a greased Bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes or until cake tests done.

Cool cake 10-15 minutes before inverting on a wire rack.

Serve on a platter, drizzle icing or sprinkle with powdered sugar.

I’ve made individual loaves and given them as gifts.

Hints:

1 cup mashed banana is equal to 3 medium bananas.

Baking powder can be tested by mixing 1 teaspoon baking powder with ½ cup of hot water. If the mixture bubbles, it is active, if not, throw the box of baking powder into the trash.

Recipe Card from my California Recipe Box: This banana recipe has a definite twist with wheat germ and dairy eggnog as ingredients. I haven’t tried this particular recipe but wanted to share it anyway. Thought it was an interesting version. I never thought of combining wheat germ and a banana cake. What do you think?

Banana Cake 1970s

• ½ cup butter, softened
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups of flour
• ½ cup wheat germ
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup dairy eggnog
• 1 cup mashed bananas
• Nuts

Beat together butter & sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg & vanilla. Mix flour, wheat germ, baking powder & salt. Sit into batter mixture alternately with dairy eggnog. Fold in bananas and nuts. Turn into greased loaf pan. Bake in 350 degree over for 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Recipe from my Pennsylvania Recipe Box.

This recipe was written without directions or notes. It was meant for the personal use of the owner not for a blog in 2014. Combining the ingredients in the correct order makes all the difference and separating yolks and egg whites is important here. Challenge: How would you put this cake together?

Banana Cake, 1960s

• 2 egg yolks
• 1 cup butter
• 5 tablespoons sour milk
• 1 teaspoon soda
• 2 cups of flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup bananas
• Last: egg whites

Solution for taking out stains: To take out tough stains from white clothes, use smashed apricot pits. A cloth saturated with kerosene will speedily remove soot stains from the teakettle or other tin utensils. The Mormon Trail Cookbook: Mormon Pioneers, 1997