Banana Pound Cake 2
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.; Grease and flour 2 8″ foil loaf pans or a 10″ tube pan.
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.
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.
Pour the batter into the prepared pans, spreading evenly. Bake about 1 hour 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. If using a tube pan, increase baking time by about 20 minutes.
Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Loosen the sides with a knife, invert onto a rack, invert again and cool completely.
