Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Banana Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

















This is a very tasty cake:

Banana Cake and Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

3/4 cup butter
2 1/8 cups white sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas

Frosting:

1/2 cup butter, room temp.
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C). This is not a typo. Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.(Don't use a different sized pan.....it doesn't work) In a small bowl, mix mashed bananas with lemon juice, set aside.

2. In a large bowl, cream 3/4 cup butter and 2 1/8 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, then stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla. Stir in banana mixture. Now add milk, stir until combined, then add dry ingredients, incorporate. Pour batter into prepared pan.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place directly into freezer for 45 minutes. This will make the cake very moist. (You don't have to empty your freezer to make room, if you can't fit it in there, skip this step, the cake will still be very moist.) Some ovens are different, so the cooking times may vary. It has to do with altitude, your temperature may be hotter or cooler in your oven. I bake a LOT, so know that sometimes I have to adjust cooking times. I now keep an oven thermometer in my oven and adjust the temperature to be sure it is always right. I've also had the oven professionally adjusted to be sure it is accurage. This has only been necessary once.

4. For the frosting: In a large bowl, cream 1/2 cup butter and cream cheese until smooth. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add confectioners sugar and beat on low speed until combined, then on high until frosting is smooth. Spread on cooled cake.

This makes a large amount of frosting, if you aren't a big frosting fan don't use it all. I understand this recipe is good as cupcakes but have never made them. My family loves this recipe the way it is, we don't change a thing.