Recipes from Aunt Flora -- Banana Nut Cake

One of the problems with using the recipes from this particular family cookbook is that it is a much copied version of an original created long before word processing programs. This especially true when it has to deal with type and formatting. For example, this one was on a page where the hole for the three-hole punch took a bite out of vital ingredient measurements. Unfortunately, I am not close enough to Aunt Flora to be able to pick up the phone and ask. I had to guess on a few of these.

Let's hope it's okay. As it's banana, I am counting on my handy IT guinea pigs to find out.

Banana Nut Cake

2 ½ cup flour
? teaspoon baking powder (1?)
? teaspoon baking soda (1?)
¾ teaspoon salt

½ cup shortening
1 cup sugar

2 eggs
2 cups nuts, chopped (mixture of walnuts and pecans)
1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup ripe smashed bananas (about 2)
2 tablespoons milk

Sift dry ingredients together.
Beat shortening until creamy.
Add sugar gradually, beating until light and fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time.
Add nuts and beat well.
Stir in vanilla and beat well.
Add flour mixture alternating with bananas and milk.
Turn into a well greased pan.*
Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.*

*In this case, I turned it out into a well-greased 13x9x2 cake pan and only baked it for about 40 minutes. It came out of the oven brown and firm, with the cake tester releasing cleanly. I figured if the cake was thinner, more of the guys could get a crack at it for breakfast.