Do Monkies Live Here?

I know, I know! Somehow I keep posting banana bread recipes. This one is also very good. It comes from a Guiltless Desserts Class that I attended a couple of years ago and The Everyday Gourmet. The recipe is acually for a Banana Cake but I put it in a loaf pan and omitted the frosting...viola...banana bread!! Because the recipe is actually for a cake, this is extremely moist. This time I decied to try it with a bit of Splenda instead of all sugar. I think it turned out find; you couldn't really tell the difference. Roomie liked it, too. I'll include the topping directions in case you want to use this in its original cake form. I've never actually made the topping but it looked good at the class.

Banana Bread (or Cake with Macadamia Nuts and Coconut)

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup mashed ripe bananas

3/4 cup granulated sugar (I used 1/2 cup Splenda and 1/4 cup granulated sugar)

3 Tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

sprinkle cinnamon (I KNOW I use more than a sprinkle!)

1 large egg

Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Spray 9X4 loaf pan. Whisk flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder together in a bowl. Combine the banana and the next 6 ingredients (through egg) and beat for 1 minute or until well blended. Add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients and beat until blended. Pour batter into pan. Bake for 45 minutes - 1 hour, or until wooden pick comes out clean. Cool and serve.

FOR CAKE:

Spray 9 inch round cake pan and line with wax paper. Spray the paper as well. Follow mixing instructions above. Pour batter into pan and bake for 30 minutes or until wooden pick comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, remove from pan, and peel off wax paper.

Topping:

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 Tablespoon water

2 teaspoons butter

2 Tablespoons chopped macadamia nuts (toasted)

2 Tablespoons sweetened flaked coconut

Combine brown sugar, water, and butter in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, sitr constantly. Remove from heat and stir in nuts and coconut. Spread over cake and serve warm.