---------- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05
 
      Title: Chocolate-Glazed Banana Cake
 Categories: Cakes, Chocolate
      Yield: 12 servings
 
      1 ts Vegetable shortening
      1 tb All-purpose flour
      3 c  Cake flour; sifted
      1 tb Baking powder
    1/3 c  Plus 1 tb butter; softened
           Or
    1/2 c  Margarine; softened
      3 lg Eggs
  1 1/2 c  Ripe bananas; mashed
    1/3 c  Low-fat buttermilk
           Chocolate glaze:
           Optional
      1 c  Unsifted powdered sugar
    1/4 c  Unsweetened cocoa powder
  1 1/2    (1 oz squares) unsweetened
           Chocolate
    1/4 c  Boiling water
 
  Lightly brush 2 (9-inch) layer cake pans or 13x9-inch
  baking pan with shortening, then dust with all-purpose
  flour. Sift cake flour with baking powder and set aside.
  Cream butter with sugar in large mixer bowl until light and
  fluffy. Beat in eggs on medium speed 5 minutes, scraping
  bowl down several times. Reduce mixer speed to low, beat in
  bananas and buttermilk. Add dry ingredients all at once,
  mixing only to moisten dry ingredients. Spoon batter into
  prepared pans and bake on middle shelf of 350 degree oven
  25 to 30 minutes, or until wood pick inserted in center
  comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in pans, then turn onto
  rack to finish cooling. For best results, wrap cooled
  layers in film and ripen overnight before serving. Frost
  with Chocolate Glaze or serve plain.
  
  CHOCOLATE GLAZE: Sift powdered sugar with cocoa. Set aside.
  Melt chocolate in top of double boiler over simmering
  water, or in microwave oven on HIGH (100% power) 1 minute.
  Remove from heat, stir boiling water into melted chocolate
  to make smooth paste, then stir in sugar-cocoa mixture.
  Spread evenly while warm over cake layers.
  VARIATION: For Banana-Nut Cake; Fold in 1/2 cup pecans or
  walnuts with flour.
  Frances Price, L.A. Times article, "Reviving Soul Food",
  1/14/93"I've worked out new ways for old favorite [soul
  food] recipes, considerably lightened in both fat and salt,
  that preserve much (but not all) of that old-time flavor."
 
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