Light and Fluffy Banana Cake

Light and Fluffy Banana Cake
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I've been making banana muffins for years (aka "happy cakes") but have been craving a good banana cake that is light and slathered in butter cream icing (NOT cream cheese icing! There is a time and place for that, but it is way overdone, if you ask me--kind of like balsamic vinegar). And since it was my birthday recently, and given that my oldest daughter who sometimes offers to make a cake for me has never touched or eaten a banana in her life and would not dare start just because her mom turned 51, I thought I would make it myself. And so, I did. It wasn't pretty, but it wasn't as ugly as other cakes I've made. And because I made it on Martin Luther King Day and I was home off from work, my babysitter and cleaning lady watched me make it. They gave me lots of icing tips (AFTER the fact) that I will share on my next blog and try on my next cake.

Light and Fluffy Organic Banana Cake

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup butter
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 ripe bananas
  • 1/3 cup buttermilk (or plain milk with ½ teaspoon white vinegar)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°.
  2. Take the butter out of the fridge and let it soften.
  3. Sift the flour into a bowl and mix with all the dry ingredients.
  4. Add all the wet ingredients (eggs, bananas, milk, vanilla, softened butter).
  5. Mix with an electric mixer for 3 to 5 minutes. It will seem a bit dry.
  6. Put it into one or two pans for baking (oiled and floured). If you put it into one pan, cook it a bit longer. I cooked it in two round pans and they cooked in 15 minutes!

Banana Buttercream Icing

I was feeling super banana-y, so I took this basic buttercream icing recipe and added a half of a ripe banana. YUM!

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups sifted confectioners sugar
  • 2 sticks softened butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 Tablespoons milk
  • ½ ripe banana

Directions:

Put it all in a bowl and mix with an electric mixer until it's light and fluffy.

For more from Maria Rodale, go to www.mariasfarmcountrykitchen.com

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