Categories: Breads 
      Yield: 1 loaf 
  
  1 3/4 c  All-purpose flour 
  1 1/2 ts Baking powder 
    1/2 ts Baking soda 
    1/2 ts Salt 
    1/2 ts Ground ginger 
    1/4 ts Ground allspice 
    1/4 ts Grated nutmeg 
      1 ts Grated lemon peel (optional) 
    1/4 c  Ground almonds (optional) 
    1/2 c  Butter or margarine 
    3/4 c  Sugar 
      2    Eggs 
  1 1/2 c  Mashed banana (4 medium 
           -bananas) 
  
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F.  Grease 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. 2. Sift flour,baking 
  powder,  baking  soda,  salt,  ginger, 
     allspice and nutmeg together in bowl.  Add lemon peel and almonds. 
     Stir until combined.  Set aside. 3. Beat butter in large mixing bowl 
  until soft amd creamy. 
     Beat  in  sugar  until  light and fluffy.  Add eggs and beat until 
     thoroughly  blended.   Beat  in  flour  mixture  alternately  with 
     bananas until mixture is well blended.  Pour into prepared pan. 4. Bake 
  in center of oven 1 hour to 1 hour 5 minutes, or until 
     toothpick  inserted in center comes out clean.  5.  Cool in pan on 
     wire  rack  10  minutes.   Invert  from pan and cool completely on 
     rack. 
   
  Variation: Banana-walnut or -pecan bread: Omit almonds. Add 3/4 cup 
  coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans with bananas.