Monday With Meg: Banana Cake

Ok, I have a weird confession to make. I love banana muffins, bread or cake but actual straight up bananas I could totally do without. I enjoy the flavor but the texture is usually too much for me to handle. I know, it’s odd but I kind of am too so it makes sense in the end. Now that the confession is out in the open we can move onto the recipe.

This is one of the best cakes I have ever made! It’s moist and dense and bursting with banana flavor. And who could forget that rather thick layer of cream cheese frosting? Not me. It is cooked at a low temperature for a longer amount of time then thrown into the freezer immediately. This attributes the moistness of the cake so make sure to keep the freezing time in mind before you start baking.

After the freezing time, frost it liberally with cream cheese frosting and keep in the refrigerator. I think it tastes best when chilled.

I love to bring this lovely cake to potlucks because everyone seems to enjoy it, it travels well and can feed a crowd.

Banana Cake
recipe from Food.com

1 1/2 cups bananas, mashed, ripe
2 teaspoons lemon juice
3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
2 1/8 cups sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Chopped walnuts, optional

1. Preheat oven to 275°.

2. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 pan.

3. In a small bowl, mix mashed banana with the lemon juice; set aside.

4. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

5. In a large bowl, cream 3/4 cup butter and 2 1/8 cups sugar until light and fluffy.

6. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then stir in 2 tsp vanilla.

7. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk.

8. Stir in banana mixture.

9. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for one hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

10. Remove from oven and place directly into the freezer for 45 minutes. This will make the cake very moist.

11. For the frosting, cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth.

12. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla.

13. Add powdered sugar and beat on low speed until combined, then on high speed until frosting is smooth.

14. Spread on cooled cake.

15. Sprinkle chopped walnuts over top of the frosting, if desired.

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