Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

There was a deaf camp here in town, and to get a free dinner (rather than pay $6 each for me and my husband), we had to bring a dish each. I had a few very ripe bananas that I needed to use up, so I googled recipes for a banana cake recipe. I found this recipe at http://www.recipezaar.com/Best-Ever-Banana-Cake-With-Cream-Cheese-Frosting-67256 and decided to try it out. I used my own frosting recipe instead of the one with the cake recipe, because the original recipe called for too much powdered sugar, which I find too sweet.

It was so easy compared with the other recipes I've tried, even though it took a little longer. It turned out really good. A few people actually asked who made the cake, so it was THAT good.

If you don't want to click on the link above, here's the original recipe below. I've also added my own recipe for my cream cheese frosting, because the original frosting recipe is too sweet for my tastes.

NOTE: The reviews and the author's comment on the recipe stated that for some people, it took an hour 10 min to an hour 30 minutes to bake this cake. For my oven, it took me one hour and 30 minutes for the cake to reach doneness. And the freezer trick does seem to make it really moist. Another thing to mention, I had no lemon juice on hand, so I used 2 tbsp orange juice to go with the mashed bananas, and 1 tbsp vinegar to mix with regular milk to subsitute for buttermilk. It worked out good for me.

BEST EVER BANANA CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

• 1 1/2 cups bananas, mashed, ripe
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 3 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 1/8 cups sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk

FROSTING

• 1/2 cup butter, softened

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 1/2 cups icing sugar

GARNISH

• chopped walnuts

Directions

1. 1

   Preheat oven to 275°.

2. 2

   Grease and flour a 9 x 13 pan.

3. 3

   In a small bowl, mix mashed banana with the lemon juice; set aside.

4. 4

   In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

5. 5

   In a large bowl, cream 3/4 cup butter and 2 1/8 cups sugar until light and fluffy.

6. 6

   Beat in eggs, one at a time, then stir in 2 tsp vanilla.

7. 7

   Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk.

8. 8

   Stir in banana mixture.

9. 9

   Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for one hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

10. 10

    Remove from oven and place directly into the freezer for 45 minutes. This will make the cake very moist.

11. 11

    For the frosting, cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth.

12. 12

    Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla.

13. 13

    Add icing sugar and beat on low speed until combined, then on high speed until frosting is smooth.

14. 14

    Spread on cooled cake.

15. 15

    Sprinkle chopped walnuts over top of the frosting, if desired.

My cream cheese frosting recipe:

1 8oz block of cream cheese, softened, not melted

1 stick of butter (1/2 cup), softened, not melted

2 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Whip butter and cream cheese together (I used my Kitchenaid...I love it so much!) until fluffy. Add vanilla, and then slowly add powdered sugar (you don't want white powder all over the place, right?), and whip until fluffy. I usually leave my Kitchenaid going for about 10 minutes almost full speed, using the whisk beater...makes for a very fluffy and smooth cream cheese frosting.