Heavenly Banana Cake with Super Special Cream Cheese Frosting
I tackled my first major baking project since having the baby. Wow… it took a LOT longer to get a simple cake made. Measure and sift the flour… feed the baby. Prepare pans… change the baby. You get my drift.
For people who don’t have a newborn at home, this is an easy cake that is hard to screw up. If you can make banana bread, you can make this cake! And, it is such a crowd pleaser. To tell you the truth, this is one of my top 3 recipes. I have honed it over the years and I must say, it is simply delicious. A few years ago, I planned to start an organic cake business. I tested and baked cake after cake. One night, I had visions of my first big corporate gift order and endless nights of baking the same cake over and over. Shortly after that, I opened my marketing consulting business instead - no inventory to track, get old or go bad. Coincidentally, baking has remained a passion instead of a nightmare. I do still feel a bit protective of these recipes but I suppose I will share them and some day, should I reignite the cake business dream, you will all share my secrets!
Heavenly Banana Cake
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups cake flour, sifted
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 egg + 1 yolk well beaten
1 cup ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sift flour once. Put in a bowl with other dry ingreindents and mix them all together with a whisk. Cream butter and add sugar gradually. Add eggs and beat well. Add mashed bananas and beat again. Add flour to mixture alternately with the buttermilk, a little each time. Beat after each addition until smooth. Add vanilla and mix in. Bake in 2 greased round cake pans (or line bottom of each pan with parchment). Cakes should bake about 25 minutes. Watch them for light brown top - toothpick should come out of the center clean. Cool cakes in pans for 10 minutes then turn onto a rack to cool completely.
Cake Flour Substitute: If you find yourself without cake flour, fill the one cup measure with 2 Tbsp corn starch and then fill with regular flour
Super Special Cream Cheese Frosting
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
3 ounces cream cheese softened
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup
1 Tablespoon sour cream
3 to 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Pecans or walnuts (optional - see assembly)
Beat together butter and cream cheese. Mix in next three ingredients. Add sifted powdered sugar little by little until stiff enough to frost cake.
Cake Assembly
I frost the middle and top of the cake only. Then sprinkle the top with pecans or walnuts. For me, it creates a better frosting:cake ratio and it’s easier! If you want to frost the sides too, double the frosting recipe.
May 1st, 2008 at 6:50 pm
[…] in a fairly large saucepan over low heat, melt a stick and a half of unsalted butter—the closer to home the better, and if you know the cow, even better! Stir in the chocolate bits until they’ve melted too. Turn off the heat, whisk in a heaping ¼ cup plus two tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa, two cups of sugar, three large eggs, and a teaspoon and a half of vanilla. Using a wooden spoon, stir in one cup of all purpose flour. […]
May 1st, 2008 at 10:39 pm
I absolutly love your blog. I love reading what you have to say and I really love your photos. I love the retro touch they all have. I am passing along a little blog award I received today. Its called the Blogging With A Purpose award. You can check my blog if you want to see what I said and go ahead and pass it on if you like. Thanks for the great reads! -Rachel
May 2nd, 2008 at 10:52 am
awesome looking cake…and i don’t even like bananas! also great tip about the cornstarch!
May 2nd, 2008 at 10:54 am
Wow, I think I gained 5 lbs just by looking at this cake. Ya know what, it was worth it.
I will certainly be trying this puppy out. I’m not a big maple syrup fan, but 1 tbsp seems to have a purpose and you seem to be very passionate about this tried and true recipe, so I promise not to fuss with it.
May 3rd, 2008 at 9:49 am
I made it and it is delicious!!!! I had it for breakfast, even! Thank you for sharing the recipe! This was my first banana cake ever, eating or baking.
May 3rd, 2008 at 5:04 pm
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May 5th, 2008 at 7:23 pm
thats one super bad ass bodascious cake! fluffy, dense and dreamy..
May 8th, 2008 at 5:52 am
banana bread is a favorite at our house. If I add cream cheese frosting, it will put it over the top.