Best-ever banana ginger cake

9 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
2¼ cup All-purpose flour
1 teaspoon Baking powder
¾ teaspoon Baking soda
½ teaspoon Ground cinnamon
⅓ cup Butter or margarine
1 cup Sugar
2 larges Eggs
1 cup Well-mashed very ripe nino, manzano, or red bananas
1 tablespoon Minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon Finely grated lemon peel
½ cup Buttermilk
Gingered whipped cream *
Ground cinnamon, powdered sugar, crystallized ginger, & fresh mint sprigs (opt.)

Directions

* To make gingered whipped cream: Fold 2 T minced crystallized ginger into 2 to 2½ cups slightly sweetened whipped cream.

Stir togather flour, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon. In another bowl, beat butter and sugar with electric mixer until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Beat in bananas, ginger and peel.

Stir in flour mixture and buttermilk just until completely blended.

Pour into a buttered 9" square cake pan or 9" by 5" loaf pan.

Bake in a 350F oven until cake is golden brown and center springs back when lightly pressed, about 45 minutes for cake pan, 50 minutes for loaf pan. Cool cake completely. (If making ahead, wrap airtight and store room temp up to 1 day.) Cut into slices, squares, or shapes with cookie cutters. If using whipped cream, place dollops on individual plates; top with pieces of cake. Dust lightly with cinnamon and/or powdered sugar pressed through a sieve. Garnish with crystallized ginger (cut into shapes) and mint if desired.

Per serving: 302 cal, 8⅘ g fat (26%), 5.3 g pro, 262 mg sod, 67 mg chol

Reprinted from Sunset Magazine, May 1996.

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