Grandma's Banana Date Cake

Old fashioned, this is from my Family Recipe Box. From the Family Recipe Box, in Grandma's handwriting and dated 3/13/76. Attributed to "Schopf."

• Ready In: 1 hr 15 mins
• Yields: 1 loaf

Ingredients

• 2 3⁄4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted before measuring
• 2  teaspoons baking powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 cup butter, softened
• 1 1⁄2 cups granulated sugar
• 2  eggs
• 2  teaspoons vanilla
• 1  cup  mashed ripe banana
• 1⁄2 cup buttermilk
• 1⁄2 cup  finely chopped dates
• 1⁄4 cup  chopped  nuts
•  confectioners' sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease well a 9 by 5 by 3 inch loaf pan.
3. Sift flour, baking powder, soda, and salt.
4. In large bowl with electrix mixer at high speed, beat butter, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla, occasionally scraping side of bowl with scraper, until light and fluffy- about 3 minutes.
5. In small bowl, combine banana and buttermilk.
6. At low speed, beat in flour mixture (in fourths) alternately with banana mixture in 3rds- about 1 minute.
7. Stir in dates and nuts.
8. Bake 1 hour and 10 or 15 minutes.
9. Cool on rack 15 minutes in pan, then turn out on rack until cool.
10. Dust with confectioner's sugar.