From the most popular cookbook in the blogosphere--Classic Banana Bundt Cake

Classic Banana Bundt Cake
Baking From My Home To Yours Copyright 2006

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, preferably at room temperature
About 4 very ripe bananas, mashed (should have 1 ½ to 1 ¾ cups)
1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt I used sour cream

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter a 9- to 10-inch (12-cup) Bundt pan. Don’t place the pan on a baking sheet – you want the oven’s heat to circulate through the Bundt’s inner tube.

Whisk flour, baking soda and salt together.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar and beat at medium speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla, then add the eggs one at a time, beating for about 1 minute after each egg goes in. Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the bananas. Finally, mix in half the dry ingredients (don’t be disturbed when the batter curdles), all the sour cream and then the rest of the flour mixture. Scrape the batter into the pan rap the pan on the counter to de-bubble the batter and smooth the top.

Bake for 65 to 75 minutes , or until a thin knife inserted deep into the center of the cake comes out clean (mine was done in about 55 minutes). Check the cake after about 30 minutes – if it is browning too quickly, cover it loosely with a foil tent. Transfer the cake to a rack to cool for 10 minutes before unmolding onto the rack to cool to room temperature.

Makes 14 servings.

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Oops! I uploaded the wrong picture. There's nothing wrong with your eyes - that picture is sort of faded. I wish this were a better picture but this is a case where the greatness of a recipe doesn't translate to a photograph.

I finally got myself a copy of this book, after just about every other food blogger in the land. It definitely has star quality as far as cookbooks go. I was attracted to almost every recipe. This one attracted me by it's sheer simplicity. It's definitely a very good banana cake recipe although I will probably still go to my stand-by banana cake recipe when I want a cream cheese frosting since I think this recipe is too heavy for a frosting like that. This is more of a banana pound cake. It's very dense and moist with crispy edges. There was a suggestion of a glaze for this cake but I think it's just perfect on it's own.

On Thursday evening I bought a bunch of 'clearance' bananas for about 25 cents, specifically for this recipe. I didn't use them until Sunday and when I peeled them, the bananas were still in perfect eating condition, despite the black skins. Bizarre.

We never got hit by the big nor'easter this weekend. Just rain Sunday - Saturday was actually quite nice. Once again, the weather people got it wrong. I know everyone wasn't so lucky.

Blast From The Past: Crumb-Coated Dijon Chicken from September 2006. This is what we're having tonight. I can't wait.

Question of the Day: Do you like pound cakes plain or glazed (or maybe not at all)?