My Obsession With Banana Bread

I love banana bread!  I LOVE IT!!  But my concern here is that I haven't found the perfect recipe.  Actually I have.  There's two.   I just can't replicate them.  In my opinion James makes the best Banana Bread found on the planet at the bakery.    Have you tasted it?  It is to die for, and every Tues. I cut a warm slice off the bread board and top it with a little butter and I'm in heaven.  It is one of those "Great Harvest Moments".  When you taste something so yummy time and place stops.  I own the recipe.  I paid my franchise fee.  I have the recipe, but it just isn't the same at home.  Does that ever happen to you?   This last winter I spent a beautiful day skiing with my fabulous neighbor C and guess what she brought for lunch?  Yup- Banana Bread.  I was on a diet and not eating those kind of things, but I ate a piece.  Again........it was divine!  I even have C's recipe.  It's in her family cookbook.  3/4 of the book is treats.  These gals know how to make good stuff, but again, my attempts weren't that stellar.

So what is it about trying to replicate a recipe.  I've decided you can always replicate a recipe, but you can't replicate "the moment".  Eating is more than just the food.  There are all those other variables.  How hungry you were, where you were, how happy you were, who you were with and so on.  I once had my own daughter tell me I needed to get a recipe from my friend E who had brought us over a beautiful Razzleberry Pie.   It was my recipe!  E had just made it perfect.  The pie was a perfect specimen, but the timing was even better.  We needed that pie at that moment, and it turned that pie into pure loveliness.

So I'll keep trying for that perfect banana bread, but I do have one consolation.  I've nailed this Banana Cake.  It's wonderful every time, and it feeds my need for baked banana loveliness.  Maybe it's the topping, or the yumminess, but I think it's the fact that this is the first cake I made when I married James that actually turned out good.  It's a no-brainer!  Eat some and then you can tackle the world on Banana Bread recipe at a time.

Banana Cake 

1 1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. butter

2 eggs

1/2 c. buttermilk

1 c. mashed bananas

1 1/2 c. flour

1 t. baking soda

Cream sugar and butter together.  Add eggs, buttermilk and bananas.  Mix well.  Combine dry ingredients and mix well.  Pour batter into a greased and floured 9x9 inch cake pan or Pyrex pan.  Bake at 350'F for 40 mins. or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Immediately spread the topping on and return the cake to the oven for another 10 mins. or until the frosting bubbles.  I actually turn on the broiler and broil the frosting until it is bubbly.  Watch really close.  Serve cake warm with a honking huge cup of milk or vanilla ice cream.

Topping

3 T. butter

1 c. brown sugar

3 T.  cream

1/2 c. coconut

1/2 c. chopped pecans

Melt the butter and combine all the ingredients together.  Spread on warm cake and broil until bubbly.