OmNomNom!

Modified recipe from upstate NY, USA. Original recipe author listed as 'Mrs. Gary Brockway'; changes are my own mother's.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup shortening (e.g. butter)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 bananas mashed (the riper the better)
1-2 carrots, peeled and grated
handful of walnuts, grated
handful of raisins
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking power
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cup flour

Instructions:

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***For a dessert version, substitute diced dried apricots for all or most of the raisins, and it becomes apricot banana bread.***

Good with peanut butter, cream cheese, butter, and cheese of most any kind, or just plain. The carrot gives it its characteristic golden color that distinguishes it from ordinary grey banana bread.

ETA 9/15: for an even more dessert variation, combine this recipe with the topping + method from kaberett's excellent variation on upside down pineapple cake:

(same ingredients as above for batter)

Topping:

3.33 Tbsp butter
5 Tbsp dark brown sugar
1tsp cinnamon
splash of Cointreau/rum/whatever (optional)
1 tin of pineapple slices or chunks


Instructions:

Set oven pre-heating to 325°F and grease up & flour a 9 x 9 pan.

Place topping ingredients (except pineapple slices) in the pan and stick in the oven.

While that's heating, getting bubbly, etc, prepare the banana bread batter as in instructions above. Once the batter's ready, remove the tin/tray/whatever from the oven, mix the bubbling butter-sugar mixture to combine, and spread the pineapple slices out across the bottom. (You can drink the juice. If you are not that way inclined, you can add it to the other topping ingredients before the tray goes into the oven.) Then pour over the batter, spread out as you would normally, and bake for approximately 45 60+ minutes, until golden brown & set. (Knife can be inserted and removed cleanly or only pulling up particulate, not liquidy stuff.)