Banana Bread with Sour Cream

Marthastewart.com

Is there anything better to make with black bananas than banana bread?? I truly believe the first person to ever make banana bread should be on the list of smartest people or best inventions or something. I mean how many foods are out there that spoil and they make such an awesome treat? I don't know about you but we LOVE banana bread at our house. Ok to be honest we love most breads but the sweeter ones are my kids favorite. I was looking for a recipe that called for less bananas because I only had a few. I stumbled across this one and the sour cream intrigued me. Sour cream makes things so moist and to be honest the first batch of this I made I didn't have enough sour cream so I used a little bit of plain yogurt to fill my 1/2 cup. This is now the new favorite!! It is sooo moist and even days later it is still moist.



Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature, plus more for pan
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed very ripe bananas
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans


Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan; set aside. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, and beat to incorporate.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the butter mixture, and mix until just combined. Add bananas, sour cream, and vanilla; mix to combine. Stir in nuts, and pour into prepared pan.

Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Let rest in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool.




*****Variations

To make the cream cheese frosting-filled banana bread as featured on "The Martha Stewart Show," in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together 6 ounces cream cheese, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract until smooth. Once bread is baked and cooled, halve horizontally. Using an offset spatula, spread cream cheese frosting evenly over bottom half. Top with remaining half; slice and serve.