Banana-Cherry Cake

Great for the holiday season, or any time of the year, we are present a tasty little cake that is perfect for one or two to share. It also fits nicely in one of those small holiday tins, making it a nice gift that is quick and easy to make for neighbors or co-workers. But first, I thought I'd share a few memories of Mom to celebrate the season!

Remembering Mom at Christmas

1957 in Fort Huachuca, AZ.

Christmas was always a wondrous time during my childhood because Mom went to extra lengths to make it that way. In the beginning, I would go to bed on Christmas Eve, and the entire house would look as it usually did. On Christmas morning I would awake to find a fully decorated tree with lots of presents underneath. Not only did Santa leave presents he would literally put up and decorate the tree too! One year, when I was about six, Mom and Dad suggested that we help Santa out a bit by purchasing the tree and putting it in the stand. The next year we decided to help Santa a little more by adding the lights. The next year Santa needed even more help, so we would add the decorations and tinsel (one strand at a time).

Needless to say I was nine years old before I found out the secret about Santa Claus. After Mom told me (because my classmates had been teasing me so much), I cried and cried, "Why did you tell me?" Some things you'd just prefer not to know the truth about. In 1958 we were still living in Fort Huachuca, Arizona. Leslie wouldn't arrive for another four months yet. Dad made me the stove. It was really quite ingenious. It was a cabinet with two doors on it (perfect for doubling as a toy box), the knobs were painted copper as were the make-believe burners made out of coffee can tops and nailed to the top. Just look at all the dishes and Revereware pots (child size) with copper bottoms sitting on top of the stove I received to go along with it!

Christmas Windows 1958 in Fort Huachuca, AZ

Mom said that every house we lived in, provided her with an opportunity to live a different lifestyle. The house in Arizona with its large picture windows provided the perfect lighting for painting. And so while we lived in Arizona she took art classes. At Christmas time she cut-out white silhouettes and decorated those windows. Closest thing you'll find to a white Christmas in Arizona. That little person posing in front is me, just barely two-years old.

After many years of wondrous Christmases, it wasn't until I was much older that I learned the most important Christmas lesson from my mother. One afternoon when I was about 25, I walked in on her sitting at her desk. She hurriedly shuffled some papers, and I asked her what she was doing. She wouldn't tell me at first, but I kept pressing her so she finally said, "I'm giving myself a Christmas present. I'm writing a check to the Needlepoint Guild because they use the money to buy clothes for children whose parents can't afford them."

Microwave Banana-Cherry Cake

½ cup all-purpose flour

½ tsp. baking powder

1/8 tsp. baking soda

1/8 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

Mix dry ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.

1 tbsp. butter

Place butter in 16 oz. casserole. Cook 30 seconds (_____) at 100% power to melt.

2 oz. (¼ cup) ripe banana

3 tbsp. granulated sugar

1 small egg

1 tbsp. milk

Add the banana, sugar, egg and milk to the butter. Stir to mix. Dump mixture into the dry mixture and stir until well-mixed.

1½ oz. chopped and pitted dark sweet cherries*

4 tbsp. chopped nuts

Fold in cherries and nuts. Pour batter into the 16 oz. casserole. Cook 5 minutes (_____) at 100% power, giving dish a half-turn halfway through cooking time. (Autorotating oven: Eliminate turn.) Place dish on flat surface to finish cooking for 5 minutes (_____). Place plate over casserole and turn cake over onto plate. Turn cake right-side-up. Serve.

*raisins, chocolate chips, or butterscotch morsels, may be substituted for cherries. Use green and/or red candied cherries to make a holiday cake. Ocean Spray's Craisins (Dried Cranberries) also taste great in this recipe!

NOTE: Cooking times are for a 700-watt oven. For best results with this and any other microwave recipe, please be sure to go to the Timing Section of Microwaving Tips for a complete explanation of timing in the microwave.