Banana Bourbon Pound Cake

Oh yes, this is as good as it sounds!!  Bananas, cream cheese and bourbon....what's not to like? I found this recipe in the December 2012 edition of Better Homes and Gardens Magazine. It was created by Brenda Camp Orbell, who won the grand prize in the "Favorite Reader Recipe of the Year" contest.

The bourbon is optional but WHY would you NOT use it?

This would be a delicious dessert to serve with sliced  bananas, chopped walnuts and bourbon-laced whipped cream on top, or some vanilla ice cream with a little bourbon poured over the whole thing. Yum!

I did encounter one problem. The recipe says to use a 10" fluted tube pan, which I did, but that size is not really large enough. The batter puffed up over the sides and the inside took about 20 minutes longer to cook than the recipe indicated.  Next time I will remove some of the batter and make muffins with the excess.  Oooo, imagine these as cupcakes with a Bourbon Cream Cheese frosting.....

Banana Bourbon Pound Cake
Serves 12

3-1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 8-oz. package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
3 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup mashed bananas (about 2 medium)
1/4 cup bourbon or low-fat milk
1 TB vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts)
Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 325-F.  Grease and flour (or spray with PAM baking spray) a 10-inch fluted tube pan.

In medium sized bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined.  Gradually add sugar and beat about 7 minutes or until light.   Add eggs one at a time, beating 1 minute after each.

In a small bowl, mash the bananas, bourbon and vanilla.  Alternately add flour mixture and banana mixture to butter mixture; beat on low to medium speed after each addition just until combined.  Stir in the nuts.

Spread evenly in bundt pan.  Bake for ~80 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.  Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on rack another 10 minutes, then put on serving plate.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar.  

Happy Baking!