When I think of my mom’s best friend, Sue, two things come to mind: baking and bananas.
Walking into her house, it’s obvious this woman has literally gone bananas. Banana ceramics, plates, bowls and paintings cover every square inch of display space in her breakfast nook, and it doesn’t stop there — she even named her beloved chocolate lab Anna Banana.
My mom was never a baker, so over the years, Sue appeased my family’s cravings on a weekly basis with her baked delicacies. Birthdays, anniversaries, parties, or just because, our personal Betty Crocker always delivered.
What do you get, then, when a banana-obsessed woman meets a baker? Simple. The best banana bread around.
“Yum-Yum Banana Bread” has been in Sue’s family for as long as she can remember. At the age of 11, she started her own baking business, “Yum-Yum Bakery,” in Honolulu where she grew up, and banana bread was the big seller. While the baking business may have only survived until the onset of puberty, Sue’s recipe traveled with her to the mainland and finds its way onto my kitchen table every fall.
Eat it fresh out of the oven, grab it on the run for last-minute fuel before a final, or wrap it in plastic with a festive bow and give as a gift. Whether it’s cold, toasted, served with butter, honey or plain, you’ll find yourself lost in this little slice of heaven.
Ingredients
1/3 c. butter
3 ripe bananas
2 eggs
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. sugar
2 tsp. baking power
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
Directions
Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Mash bananas with a fork in a small bowl.
In separate bowl, cream together butter and eggs.
Add mashed bananas to the butter and eggs and stir until combined.
Add flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon to the bowl and mix until all ingredients are incorporated.
Pour batter into a greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 loaf pan and bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until knife comes out clean.
Slice and serve.