Mrs. Alexander’s Banana Bread

Preaheat oven to 350 degrees F and prepare cupcake tins or loaf pans**.

* About the buttermilk – I never have buttermilk on hand so what I do is add a tiny amount of vinegar (maybe 1/8 teaspoon or so) to a measuring cup and then fill the cup with whole milk to the 1/2 cup mark.

In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar with a mixer. I recently read somewhere that this is the one step that a lot of bakers skimp on but when done right, it makes a huge difference in the texture of the final product. So don’t be afraid to be an overachiever like me and let your mixer go until the butter/sugar mixture is light and fluffy.

Next, add the well beaten eggs and vanilla to the sugar and butter and mix well. Set aside.

Combine the flour, salt and baking soda in a large bowl. Here is where I like to add my only departure to Mrs. Alexander’s original recipe—lemon zest. If you want to, add it in with the flour mixture and mix to combine.

Once you get your dry ingredients combined, add all of it into the creamed mixture in the mixing bowl along with the buttermilk. Mix on medium-low speed until just combined then add the mashed bananas. And I like to keep them a little chunky, but if you want to mash the tar out of them that’s OK too.

The last thing is to add the pecans (or walnuts) and gently mix them in. Put the batter into your prepared pans and then place the pans into the preheated oven.

** I usually make one 12-count pan of cupcakes and two small loaf pans. If you’re using a large loaf pan, bake time is about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. I bake my cupcakes for right at 30 minutes and they come out perfectly golden-brown.

Once they’re done, leave them in the pan for a minute and then set them on a wire rack to cool.