Banana Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

How many of you have a freezer full of nice, overripe, black bananas? Raise your hand.  I personally do not like bananas but my husband does so I always buy them for him but bananas don't last long so each week I probably toss at least one or two in the freezer.  When I cleaned my freezer the other week, I found bananas EVERY WHERE.  When it was all said and done . . . I had 18 bananas in there!! So I went on a hunt for a recipe that would use a lot and my oh my . . . 

I found this AMAZING recipe from Spend With Pennies. Not only is it an astoundingly good recipe, but I used up 5 of those 18 bananas.  As I said, I do NOT like bananas but I will make an exception when they are combined with wonderful things like butter and sugar.

I was having company so I decided to make this as a layer cake and pipe the frosting on.  I coated the sides with finely chopped walnuts as well.  This is a moist, crumbly cake so I did what is called a 'crumb coat' on the sides.  You spread a thin layer of icing to adhere the crumbs to cake, refrigerate to harden that coat of frosting and then you can top with a clean base of frosting. I wish I had piped a pretty edge around it before doing the roses but oh well, next time.

The top was also very moist and crumbly so I spread a thin layer of frosting on top before adding the roses.  Of course this would be wonderful just as a 9X13 which is how the original recipe is done.

You could add walnuts to the cake as well which I may do the next time.  It was very moist and everyone loved it.

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cup mashed bananas
• 2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice divided
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 3 cups flour
• 1/2 tablespoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup butter softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoons vanilla

FROSTING

• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1/3 cup butter softened
• 3-3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest from 1 lemon

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 pan.
2. Place 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice in a measuring cup. Top to 1 1/2 cups with milk. Set aside.
3. Mix together mashed banana with 1 tablespoon lemon juice, set aside.
4. Beat together butter, brown and white sugar until combined. Add in eggs one at a time and vanilla. Mix on high until light and fluffy (almost the texture of frosting).
5. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Alternate adding flour mixture and milk to egg mixture stirring just until combined. (Do not overmix). Fold in bananas. Pour into prepared pan.
6. Put into the oven and reduce heat to 300 degrees. Bake 60 – 70 minutes (see note below) or just until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (do not over bake).
7. Remove from oven and place in the freezer for 45 minutes to make the cake extra moist. Cool completely before frosting.

FROSTING

1. Cream together butter & cream cheese until fluffy. Add in lemon zest and juice.
2. Add powdered sugar a little at a time until you reach desired consistency. Spread over cooled cake.

Just look at that pathetic face!  Hudson is singin' soprano now, if you catch my drift.  The world can only handle one Hudson so yesterday, we did the deed and he is none too happy about 'the cone of shame'.

When I'm with him and can watch him, he is allowed to wear a onesie and no cone.  He's not thrilled about that either but it's better than the cone!

I've been down again this week with another bad cold/bug so we are both laying low and looking forward to warmer, brighter days . . . who knows WHEN that will be!