INGREDIENTS:

• ½ cup butter or margarine
• 1 ½ cup white sugar (or: 1 cup white, ½ cup brown)
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup mashed bananas
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ¾ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ milk
• ½ cup walnuts (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream butter/margarine and sugar together.
3. Add eggs and beat thoroughly.
4. Add mashed banana and vanilla and beat again.
5. In a separate bowl, shift flour together with baking powder,
   baking soda and salt.
6. Add to wet mixture alternately with milk. (add nuts if desired).
7. Add walnuts if desired.
8. Pour into 9-inch cake pan or mini-loaf pan.
9. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean
   from center of loaf.
   
   Makes 10 to 12 mini loafs or one 9-inch loaf.

THE SECRET:

Getting r eally mouth-melting banana bread is all in the
banana. Ripen the banana until the skin is almost all black.
The inside needs to be soft enough to break off by its own
weight. When mashed, the mixture should look nice and
brown.

This cake is heavenly with walnuts... even people who didn't like walnuts preferred this bread with them in it!