Instructions: To make Banana Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease two 9-inch cake pans or one 13-by-9-by-2-inch baking pan with shortening. Then flour and set aside.

Sift flour with baking powder; set aside.

In mixer bowl, beat sugar with eggs and butter on medium speed 5 minutes, scraping bowl down several times. Reduce speed to low, beat in bananas and buttermilk. Add dry ingredients all at once, mixing only moisten dry ingredients. Spoon batter into pans and bake on middle shelf of oven 25 to 30 minutes, or until wooden 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.

Either serve plain or with Chocolate Glaze.

To make Chocolate Glaze: Sift sugar with cocoa, set aside. Melt chocolate in top of double boiler over simmering water, or in microwave oven on high for 1 minute. Off heat, stir boiling water into melted chocolate to make a smooth paste, then stir in sugar-cocoa mixture. Spread evenly while warm over Banana Cake layers.

Variation: To make Banana Nut Cake, fold in 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts with flour.

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