It’s been awhile since I made a cake, but I was in the mood to do some baking. It was a bit of a stressful week with work, back to school and not sleeping well. Baking is one of my ways to relive stress, and I’m so glad I took some time this weekend to spend in the kitchen.
Once again, I bought a bunch of bananas and they started to over-ripen before we were able to eat them. I found this recipe for banana cake and it sounded amazing. The cake is light and packed full of banana flavor. Then top it with a cinnamon cream cheese frosting – YUM!
Cake ingredients:
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 stick unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
1/1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
1 1/2 cup very ripe mashed bananas
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
Frosting ingredients:
12 oz cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1 stick unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
4 cups powdered sugar
3 to 4 Tbsp half & half
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Line two 9-inch round cake pans with wax paper and lightly grease and flour the bottom and sides of the pan. Set aside. Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter on medium-high speed until it’s light and creamy. Next, add in the oil, sugars, and vanilla and mix together until well combined. One a time, add the eggs and mix after each one. Add in the mashed bananas and mix at medium speed to incorporate the banana throughout the batter. Pour in a third of the dry mixture and combine. Add in half the buttermilk and combine. Repeat with the dry ingredients and then the buttermilk and finally the remaining third of the dry ingredients. Be careful not to over-mix the batter. Divide the mixture between the two prepared cake pans. Tap the pans on the counter to release any air bubbles.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen and then transfer to a cooling rack to completely cool before frosting.
To make the frosting, add the cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer flitted with the whisk attachment. On medium-high speed, beat the cream cheese until smooth and not lumpy. Add in the butter, vanilla, salt and cinnamon. Mix on medium speed until incorporated. Add in half the powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of half & half. Mix on medium speed until combined. Add the remaining powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon of half & half and mix. If the frosting is too thick, add another tablespoon of half & half until the frosting is at your desired consistency.
Remove any crumbs from the cooled cake and place the bottom layer on a plate. add a third of the frosting and spread into a even layer. Add the second cake on and press down slightly. Add another third of the frosting on top of the cakes. Using the remaining frosting to the sides of the cake.
Refrigerate the cake until it’s ready to be served (at least 1 hour before slicing). Store any leftovers in an air tight container in your refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Source: My Country Table
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