banana nut pound cake.

[adapted from Brenda Camp Orbell, grand prize winner of Better Homes and Gardens recipe contest]

This cake is moist and incredibly banana-y.  It's like banana bread...but so much better.

ingredients-

3 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

8 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

3 cups granulated sugar

4 eggs

2 medium bananas, mashed 

1/4 cup bourbon or fat free milk

1 tbsp vanilla

1 cup chopped pecans

Powdered sugar

directions-

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F

2. Grease and flour 10 inch fluted tube pan.

3. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

4. In large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter on medium speed until combined.

5. Gradually add sugar, until light in color.

6. Add eggs one at a time, about one minute each.  

7. In a separate bowl, mix bananas, milk or bourbon, and vanilla. 

8. Alternately add flour mixture and banana mixture to butter mixture. Beat till combined.

9. Stir in pecans.

10. Spread evenly in tube pan. 

11. Bake 80 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

12. Cool cake in the pan for 10 minutes on wire rack.

13. Remove from pan, cool on rack.

14. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve up & enjoy!