Peanut Butter, Bananas, Pecans and Pound Cake...Delicious!

Today was the annual silent auction for the P.E.O. Scholarships chapter that I belong to. We try to raise a couple thousand a year which goes towards scholarships for women both locally and at the state and international level. The auction is a good money raiser and so I usually donate some baked goods. There is almost always a bidding war for them which means more money for women scholars!

One of the cakes I donated (well, actually two) ended up being a pair of small Bundt cakes using the Maida Heatter recipe for Peanut Butter Banana Pecan Pound Cake that was one of the October Cake Slice Bakers recipes. I dolled them up with a crunchy peanut butter, butter, half and half and powdered sugar icing, but they would be fine plain, too.

Without the icing you can see that the crunchy peanut butter left some gaps in the pan design clarity. The recipe calls for smooth peanut butter which would solve most of that problem, but I like crunchy peanut butter, so no smooth in the house.

 To make the recipe as it was written, use one large Bundt cake pan. Also, remember to add the baking soda. I forgot to and so my cake was very dense. Sweetie ate the tiny loaf pan of batter that I baked up for him from the batter that didn't fit into the two small Bundt pans and he said that you didn't miss it and that it was a great cake if you like peanut butter.

Pecan-Peanut Butter-Banana Bread

• 1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sifted all-purpose whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 3 ounces (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed 
• 2 eggs
• 2 to 3 large fully ripened bananas (to make one cup, mashed)
• 6 ounces (1 1/2 cups) pecan halves or large pieces, toasted (I used 1 cup)
  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  
  Butter a large Bundt pan or two small cake loaf pans. Set aside.
  
  Sift together flours, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. Set aside.
  
  In a large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter until softened, add peanut butter, beat until mixed. Add the sugar, and beat until mixed.
  
  Add eggs one at a time, beat until mixed.
  
  Peel the bananas and smash using a potato smasher or fork. Add the bananas to the mixture and beat until mixed.
  
  On low speed add the dry ingredients, beat only until mixed.
  
  Remove the bowl from mixer and fold in the pecans by hand using a spatula. Pour batter into bundt pan or divide between the two small loaf pans.
  
  Bake at 375 degrees F. for only 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. and continue baking for 35 to 40 minutes. Watch your cakes, oven temperatures vary.
  
  Cake will be done after cake tester is inserted and comes out clean.
  
  Remove cake from oven and cool for 15 minutes, then turn out cake onto a cooling rack and finish cooling.