Anna Sultana’s Banana Pound Cake With Caramel Glaze

Our grocery store recently had a pretty good sale on bananas.

So I got way more than we could finish before they started turning brown.

Which was just fine by me.

They’re perfect for making a cake.

Canadian Thanksgiving is next week.

Squash, carrots and/or yams are usually served with the turkey.

Now that’s quite a bit of orange coloured food for one meal.

Pumpkin pie - yes pumpkin is another squash - always seemed like just too much of a good thing to serve at the same meal.

Ma’s Banana Pound Cake With Caramel Glaze looks very festive.

And it uses four overripe bananas. 

Now would be a perfect time to make it.

Still have a few more overripe bananas?

Why not make a few loaves of Ma’s Banana Bread?

Hints:

Have a fluted tube pan or bundt pan?

Now’s a great time to use it.

If you’d like a stronger caramel flavour in your glaze you could use only brown sugar.

Don’t like caramel? Use only regular sugar.

Don’t want to make a glaze?

After the cake has complete cooled, place it on a pretty platter and then dust it with confectioners’ sugar.

Hey, you worked hard enough making the turkey dinner!

                        Banana Pound Cake

Heavily grease and flour an angel food cake pan

Sift together

3 Cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt 

Set aside

Peel and place in a large bowl

4 large very ripe bananas

Mash well.

Preheat oven to 325º

Combine in a large mixer bowl

1 Cup butter
1/2 Cup vegetable shortening
2 Cups brown sugar
1 Cup sugar

Beat until light and fluffy.

Add the mashed bananas.

Add, one at a time, beating well after each addition

5 large eggs

Beat in

2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

Add the sifted dry ingredients alternately with

1/2 Cup milk

(3 liquid, 2 dry additions)

Stir just enough to blend.

Stir in

1 Cup chopped pecans 

Stir just enough to evenly blend in the nuts.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes.

A toothpick inserted into the centre should come out clean.

Cool cake in the pan for 10 minutes before removing.
Run a knife around, between the cake and the cake pan, to loosen the cake.

Carefully remove the cake and cool it on a wire rack.

Place the cake on a pretty serving platter.

While the cake is baking, prepare the glaze:

                        Caramel Glaze

Combine in a small bowl

1/4 Cup brown sugar 

1/4 Cup sugar 

1 Tablespoon cornstarch 

Place in a medium saucepan

1/2 Cup butter 

Heat over medium heat until the butter is melted.

Stir in

the sugar / cornstarch mixture

Stir continuously over medium heat until it is thickened. 

Stir in

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1/4 Cup heavy cream

Simmer for 1 minute.

Cool for 20 minutes.

Pour over the cooled cake.