Best Banana Cake Ever with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ya, from time to time I dust off the old recipe book and pull out a favourite. This past week, we were invited to have dinner with my son, his wife, her parents and sister. Oh, and let’s not forget my new furry granddaughter Miss Ellie Bear the Cavapoo.
If you haven’t met her yet on my insta stories…here she is in her snazzy new sweater from Hudson’s Bay. Could you just? I want to eat her entire face but I end up with her eating mine when I pick her up to squeeze her furry little body.
So, I was in charge of bringing the salad and dessert to this soirée. As most of you already know, my salads consist of everything I can pull out of the fridge – defined as a mish mash of stuff that looks fairly fresh and in tact. Salad done. Now onto dessert.
As far as this course goes, I’m usually one who likes to do an easy recipe that doesn’t require much thought. Now is the time to stop and stare at what I baked.
It’s okay….I’ll wait.
This is truly and oldie but goodie recipe for the BEST BANANA CAKE EVER. I don’t know what it is about this cake but it remains a classic in our home. It also is the weirdest recipe in the world. The cake itself isn’t that difficult to throw together but the baking and freezer process has puzzled me for years.
First of all, the cake is baked at a ridiculously low oven temperature. Slowwwww and low is how we go.
Then, and this is even weirder, the cake is removed from the oven and immediately placed in the freezer for 45 minutes. The trick behind this process (I guess) is to ensure that the cake is super moist because of the sudden change of temperature.
Now, while I was doing a step by step of this process live on Instagram this other day, I received many messages from you asking about the hot food in the cold freezer scenario. Listen, it’s not an ideal situation to do this with food BUT how often are you making this recipe? I would say that unless you are considering a career change and are opening a banana cake factory, it’s safe to say you are not going to wreck your freezer or die from plunging this hot cake into a cold space. Pardon the pun, but YOU JUST NEED TO CHILL.
- ¾ cup softened butter
- 2 cups white sugar
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups buttermilk
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1½ cups mashed ripe bananas (3 - 4)
- walnut pieces for garnish
- Cream Cheese Frosting
- ⅓ cup softened butter
- 1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
- 3½ cups confectioners sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Grease and flour a 9" x 13" pan, and preheat oven to 350F. Then things are going to change, just trust me on this one. We are going low and slow with this one.
- In a small bowl, mix mashed bananas with lemon juice, set aside.
- In medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt, set aside.
- In a large bowl (or stand mixer), cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternating with the buttermilk. Stir in banana mixture. Pour batter into prepared pan.
- REDUCE HEAT to 300F. Bake for 70 to 75 minutes, or until toothpick is inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
- REMOVE FROM OVEN, COVER WITH FOIL AND PLACE DIRECTLY INTO FREEZER FOR 45 MINUTES. I'm sorry I'm shouting but you need to get a grip on this step. It's imperative to do so to guarantee a super moist cake. After 45 minutes, place cake on baking rack until completely cooled.
- FROSTING: Beat butter and cream cheese until well blended. Slowly add confectioners sugar and vanilla. Beat until creamy. Spread on cooled cake. Garnish with chopped walnuts if desired.
- NOTE* - If you don't have buttermilk on hand you can make your own. See directions here
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