Banana Cake

I refuse to write a second post heralding the fantastic-ness that is my subscription to Bon Appétit magazine, but the truth is, this magazine is great.  For food writers, bloggers, cookbook authors, and home cooks, it offers something salaciously wonderful between its descriptive lingo and pretty pictures.  Food from other cultures, hard to track restaurant recipes, and home cooking experiences make its pages feel more like cocktail party anecdotes than hard journalism.  I kind of like it.In this month’s May 2012 issue, the RSVP section (“Readers’ Favorite Restaurant Recipes”) prints the words of a Canadian subscriber who just has to make a certain Banana Cake for her husband from Baked Expectations in Winnipeg.

And?

Well, Bon Appétit, like any fantastic recipe hunting machine, prints it for her and their surplus readers.

 Pictured: super ripe bananas make for a soft, flecked cake reminiscent of a frosted moist banana bread.

One glance at the recipe and you can grasp the desirous minds behind this reader’s request—with ample parts butter, eggs, and bananas, the cake is a soft ripe banana-filled mixture flecked with the markings of a banana bread.  The icing is an insane take on butter cream with large amounts of butter, cream, sugar, and vanilla for a too-go0d-to-be true frosting experience.

In truth, it’s one of the best recipes I’ve made this year (especially for cakes), but I must warn against the calorie content it invokes–all together, you use 5 sticks of butter, 5 bananas, and 4 cups powdered sugar.  This cake means business…and, well, it’s kind of worth it.

Banana Cake

For Bon Appétit’s write up on the recipe, you can read it here.

Ingredients:

–Cake–

*1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

*3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting

*1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

*1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt

*2 1/4 cups sugar

*6 eggs

*3 very ripe bananas, mashed

*3/5 cup sour cream

–Icing–

*1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

*4 cups powdered sugar

*1/2 cup heavy cream**

*1 teaspoon vanilla extract

*1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

*2 ripe bananas, sliced and not over-ripe

**COOK’S NOTE: if heavy cream is unavailable, use 1/2 cup minus 1 tablespoon regular milk for substitution

1.) Preheat oven to 325F.  Butter and flour two 8-inch cake pans making sure to tap flour along the bottoms and sides.  Remove any excess.

2.) In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients—flour, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.

3.) In a standing mixer, beat butter until fluffy on medium speed (about 2-3 minutes) and slowly mix in sugar until well-blended.  Add eggs one at a time and slowly mix in dry ingredients making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

4.) Add mashed bananas and sour cream until well blended.  Pour batter into two cake pans and bake for 50-55 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.  Transfer cakes to wire racks and allow to cool for about 5 minutes before removing from pan.  Cool and trim off rounded tops before icing.

5.) Using an electric mixer, beat together butter, powdered sugar, cream (or milk substitute), vanilla, and salt until well blended.  Scrape down sides of bowl and beat quickly to combine any last ingredients.

6.) Plate cake and top with 1 cup icing.  Smooth to cover top and sides and cover top with sliced bananas.  Top with second layer of cake and ice all over.

Serve immediately or refrigerate.  Makes 16 servings.

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This recipe was re-published for my “Fresh Ideas” Column for Louisiana’s state newspaper, The Advocate, on Thursday, July 3rd, 2012.  You can read the reprint here.

–Helana Brigman

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