Friday, September 11, 2009

Going Bananas

Another birthday at work. The birthday girl didn't request a particular cake, so I went in search of something different I hadn't made before. I had made a Fresh Banana Cake in the past but this one was a bit different. This recipe is all over the Internet, so I thought it must be a good one. From the comments, I think it might just be a winner. Following is how I made it.

BANANA CAKE

¾ cups butter
2 cups granulated sugar
3 whole eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups all purpose flour
1-½ teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1-½ cups buttermilk
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1-½ cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3)

Frosting:

1/4 cup butter, softened
1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup chopped, toasted pecans

Preheat oven to 275 (that’s not a typo, check your oven to be sure it is working properly.) My oven is kind of slow, so I used 300 degrees. Grease a 9×13 pan. In a small bowl, mix mashed bananas with lemon juice; set aside. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
In a large bowl, cream 3/4 cup softened butter and the 2 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternating with the buttermilk. Stir in banana mixture. Pour batter into the prepared pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour (it took mine 1 hour, 10 minutes), or until toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove pan from oven and place directly into freezer for 45 minutes. This will make the cake very moist.

For the frosting: In a large bowl, cream 1/4 cup butter and cream cheese until smooth. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add powdered sugar and beat on low speed until combined, then beat on high until frosting is smooth. Spread on cooled cake. Sprinkle pecans (optional).

6 comments:

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

It sounds like a winner to me Anj. Using bananas that are not past their prime is a new concept for me. I will need to try it.

Donna-FFW said...

I have made this one before and it is my favorite. Yours looks yummy, now I have a craving for it!!

Abby said...

Buttermilk! That always makes things extra tasty.

Katy ~ said...

This does look super super good. I like buttermilk in recipes; makes cakes and such a little more tender with just the slightest tang. Going to give this one a go as we generally have bananas in the house. Yumm....can't wait to try this. Copying and saving!

Emily said...

This cake sounds so good. Bananas are my favorite fruit in the whole world. I want this cake for my birthday!

Katy ~ said...

I'm thinking that this would be good as a layer cake? What do you think?