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1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F) and adjust a rack to the center position.
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2
Lightly butter and flour a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan (regular or nonstick).
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3
Whisk together the first four ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.
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4
Place the eggs, sour cream, butter and vanilla in the bowl of a food processor.
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5
Process until the mixture is homogenous, about 30 seconds.
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6
Break up the bananas into 1 inch pieces and add them to the food processor.
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7
Pulse until the bananas are broken up but not quite pureed with small chunks remaining (about six 1 second pulses).
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8
Add the banana mixture along with the optional mandatory nuts to the dry ingredients.
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9
Using a rubber spatula, fold together until the dry ingredients are just moistened and no streaks of flour remain.
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10
Transfer to the prepared loaf pan and bake until the top is a dark golden brown with a cracked, domed top, and a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 55 to 60 minutes.
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11
(Start checking bread after 45 minutes.) Cool for 5 minutes before removing bread from pan.
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12
Continue to cool on a wire rack for several minutes more.
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13
Serve warm or at room temperature.
