Adjust rack one-third up from the bottom of the oven. Preheat oven to 375 F. Butter a 9 x 3 1/2-inch tube pan and dust it all over lightly with fine, dry bread crumbs.

In a small bowl toss the nuts with about 1 tablespoon of the flour to coat them thoroughly. Set aside. Sift remainder of flour with baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In small bowl of electric mixer break up the bananas. Beat them at low speed only enough to mash. You should get 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups. Set aside. In large bowl of mixer (with same beaters) cream the butter. Add vanilla and sugar and beat for a few minutes, using a rubber spatula as necessary to keep mixture blended. Add the eggs and continue to beat for 1 to 2 minutes. On lowest speed add half of the dry ingredients, then the buttermilk, and then the remainder of the dry ingredients, continuing to scrape bowl with rubber spatula as necessary. Add mashed bananas, beating only enough to blend. Remove from mixer. Stir in nuts.

Turn batter into prepared pan. Level top by rotating pan briskly back and forth. Bake 1 to 1 1/4 hours or until cake tester comes out dry. Cool in pan on a rack for about 10 minutes. Cover with a rack or a small cookie sheet. Invert and remove pan. Cover with a rack and invert again to cool, right side up.

Recipe is from _Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts_.

Eat-L Digest 13 July 96

From the Eat-L recipe list. Downloaded from Glen's Mm Recipe Archive,