Banana bread to bet on

A recipe for moist, flavorful banana bread is a find. A half-dozen of them, all in one book, is a discovery.

And if they all come together quickly with wonderful results, well, that's a gold mine. Maida Heatter's Cakes (Andrews McMeel) isn't the kind of book that captures a baker's imagination. There are no pictures, no fancy ingredients, no special techniques - only recipes. Each begins with a brief introduction, and each is backed by Heatter's reputation as the doyenne of desserts. But a closer look reveals an enticing depth of variety for cakes - plain, fancy, chocolate, with fruit, with vegetables, with yeast, cheesecakes, and baked breads.

One thing is very clear after six days of harried baking: Everything turned out.

Everything was delicious.

The week began with a 10-pound bag of ripe bananas and a mission to try every banana recipe in the book. Recipes were started between 5:30 and 6 p.m. - after work - and cooled and refrigerated by 9 p.m., an important consideration for working moms.

There was only one major snag. Everything was so good and so easy that it was hard to move on to the next recipe, so there were nights of repeating a recipe in addition to trying a new one (plus there were side trips trying other recipes in the book).

Banana Carrot Loaf

Makes 1 (9-inch) loaf

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa

1 teaspoon each baking soda and cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup dark brown sugar

3/4 cup vegetable oil

2 large bananas (1 cup)

1 cup light raisins (steamed) 1 cup (packed) grated carrots

1. Adjust rack one-third up from the bottom of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan (8-cup capacity) and dust with bread crumbs.

2. Sift flour, cocoa, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.

3. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the eggs just to mix. Beat in sugar and oil. Coarsely chop bananas and add to egg mixture along with raisins and carrots. Then on low speed, add the sifted dry ingredients and beat, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula, until thoroughly mixed. Turn mixture into prepared pan.

4. Bake for one hour, 10 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the middle of the loaf, all the way to the bottom, comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 to 15 minutes before removing from the pan.