Q: I am desperately searching for a recipe for banana cake to make for a friend whose mother always made it, but now has Alzheimer's disease. She remembers it had layers and used a yellow cake mix. I believe it had mashed bananas in both the cake and the frosting.

Dixie Petree,

Macon, Ga.

A: Finding a recipe for banana cake made with a yellow cake mix is easy. What really makes this cake, however, is the frosting, which is amazingly creamy and flavorful without added fat -- though quite perishable, so keep it refrigerated! It is the creation of a friend, Lori Clark.

Q: In the late 1960s or early '70s I had a recipe for a lemon sherbet that included buttermilk and Karo syrup. It was good, though trouble to make since it involved freezing and beating several times. Making it now would be a cinch with the easy ice-cream freezers we have, but I cannot find a recipe.

Mary, Macon, Ga.

A: I clipped this recipe from Gourmet magazine in the late 1960s, and have used it ever since, though I often substitute Key limes for the lemons. It's also very good with fresh strawberries added.

The key is to be very careful when removing the zest from the citrus so you get tiny flecks of flavor. If the pieces are too big, they taste bitter and ruin the texture. I highly recommend buying a zester, a tool with tiny holes that pulls the peel off in thin shreds that you can then chop extremely fine.

If you object to using corn syrup, make a simple syrup instead by boiling 1 1/3 cups sugar with 2/3 cup water until sugar is dissolved. Allow the syrup to come to room temperature before proceeding with the recipe.

SLEUTH'S CORNER

Q: I have lost a favorite recipe for a cookie I make for my Christmas trays. It is a Greek cookie you make with orange and lemon juice, bake, then dip in honey and finally in pecan meal. I once could have made it from memory but, alas, don't think I trust myself anymore!

Eleanor Limbaugh

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