Ripe Plantain Bread

I really like plantains in savory recipes. Plantains look like bananas, but unlike bananas, they are not sweet. They taste rather like a potato, very starchy. To me, they smell like cucumbers.

In this photo from the web, the plantains are on the far left, and varieties of bananas are on the right.

In another photo from the web, you can see how a plantain looks as it ripens. When it is really, dark, it's ripe. Ripe plantains are sweeter than green plantains, but not nearly as sweet as a banana. You wouldn't want to eat one raw. They are difficult to peel and it pretty much requires a knife, as the skin is so thick and tough.

This recipe is from www.dollarman.com. The original recipe is called a bread, but I found it sweet and dense, like a cake. I decided to frost it with a simple cream cheese frosting.

1 cup mashed ripe plantain

1/2 cup margarine

1 1/4 cups flour

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

4 tablespoons sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking powder

Beat margarine until soft; add sugar, eggs, and sour cream.

Blend plantains, flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Add to the previous mixture. Add vanilla and beat thoroughly.

Pour mixture into a greased and floured 8x8-inch pan. Bake in a preheated 350F oven for about an hour. Check with a toothpick to ensure that the cake is cooked.

After the cake was cooled, I made a quick frosting of 1/2 stick butter, about 4 ounces of cream cheese, and powdered sugar to taste. Just mix everything well.

This will not taste like a banana cake. Similar, but not the same. I like that taste, and Dave enjoyed it. It is a bit unusual though.