The Banana Bread

This doesn't need much introduction, but if you try it, you'll LOVE it!  That's all I have to say right now.  Oh, except that this stuff freezes really well and the frosting, while not mandatory, adds a certain yum to it.

Banana Bread/Cake

3 bananas, mashed

1 cup sour cream

1/4 cup margarine

1  1/3 cup white sugar

2 eggs or 1/2 cup egg product

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour 

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

dash of clove powder

Handful of any of the following:  dried apricots, golden raisins or boiled cranberries

1/3 cup sliced almonds (they are optional, but when you toast them in a fry pan first, they add SO much yummy goodness!!)

Grease and flour a 9x13 pan (I use a Pyrex dish for best results) or two 7x3 loaf pans.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix bananas and sour cream.  Set aside.  Mix margarine and sugar until well blended.  Add eggs, one at a time.  Then stir in vanilla, banana/sour cream mixture and raisins/apricots/cranberries.  Combine flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.  Stir into mixture and pour into pan.  If using almonds, sprinkle them on top.  Bake at 350 for 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.

Serve with frosting or butter.  This cake freezes VERY well!

My frosting recipe is really easy, it's just two 8 oz. packages of cream cheese, 1/2 cup margarine, 2 cups powdered sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla and lemon juice to taste.  Mix cream cheese, butter, vanilla and 1 cup of sugar together.  Add additional sugar until desired sweetness is reached.  Add 1/2 tsp. lemon juice and adjust up from there if more tartness is desired.  This makes a good amount of frosting, but this frosting also freezes well for you to save in case the kids want to frost cookies or cupcakes.  Enjoy! 

That carbuncle is actually a juicy, tart cranberry.  This loaf is FULL of them!  Oh, yeah!