Banana Bread

... or, as my son calls it, "Cake!"

Adapted from the Better Homes & Gardens cookbook. This recipe contains 1/3 of the sugar.

Banana bread always reminds me of my Dutch grandmother. Supper at her house often consisted of cold cuts and cheese; carrots, celery, and olives; and banana or zucchini bread served with real butter that was soft from sitting out.

Ingredients
1 cup white flour
½ cup wheat flour
1 ½ t baking powder
¼ t baking soda
1 t cinnamon
1 cup mashed bananas (3 medium)
¼ cup sugar
1 egg
¼ cup apple juice plus 1 – 2 T cooking oil
1 t finely shredded lemon peel (optional)
½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
(for the loaf in the photo above, I used raisins instead)

Method
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease bottom and ½ inch up the sides of an 8x4x2-inch loaf pan.
In a medium mixing bowl combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture.
Slice bananas into another mixing bowl. Add sugar and mash with a potato masher. If the bananas are nearly overripe, this method will work well. Beat the egg with a fork in a measuring cup and add to the banana mixture; in the same measuring cup, measure apple juice and oil, and add to the banana mixture. Add lemon peel if desired, and stir the banana mixture thoroughly.
Add banana mixture all at once to dry mixture. Stir till just moistened (batter should be lumpy). Fold in the nuts.
Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350 F 50 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack. Remove loaf from pan; cool on rack. Wrap and store overnight.