Summer is in full swing which means more time with our kids. Our little baker would choose to bake rather than do anything else. She LOVES to be in the kitchen. She goes to her Nana’s once a week for cooking camp and helps whenever she can at home.
I asked her this week who she would like to invite over and play on my day off of work and she said, “I’d rather spend the day with you than anyone else”. Talk about heart melting!!! So, I wanted to make sure we did something special just the two of us and I know one of her favorite things to do is bake. She has been asking to make Banana bread but I suggested one better….Banana Cake (and she is so glad I did).
This light moist banana cake is perfect for a hot summer day. It is kept in the refrigerator, so it is a great cool snack after spending the day out by the pool. And the frosting…oh my, it is a lemony cream cheese frosting, a perfect combination.
BANANA CAKE
INGREDIENTS
- 1 1/3cup mashed bananas
- 2 1/2tablespoons lemon juice divided
- 1 1/2cups milk
- 3cups flour
- 1/2tablespoon baking soda
- 1/4teaspoon salt
- 2/3cup butter softened
- 1cup white sugar
- 1/2cup brown sugar
- 3large eggs
- 1teaspoons vanilla
FROSTING
- 8oz cream cheese
- 1/3cup butter softened
- 3-3 1/2cups powdered sugar
- 1teaspoon lemon juice
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 pan.
- Place 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice in a measuring cup. Top to 1 1/2 cups with milk. Set aside.
- Mix together mashed banana with 1 tablespoon lemon juice, set aside.
- 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).
- 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.
- 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).
- Remove from oven and place in the freezer for 45 minutes to make the cake extra moist. Cool completely before frosting.
FROSTING
- Cream together butter & cream cheese until fluffy. Add in lemon zest and juice.
- Add powdered sugar a little at a time until you reach desired consistency.
**TIPS TO ENSURE A SOFT MOIST RESULT**
Ensure your ingredients are at room temperature (eggs and butter)
When mixing the butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla, beat the mixture until very fluffy, this should take about 5 minutes.
When adding the flour mixture, you want to mix until just combined. Over-mixing will cause a dense chewy result. The cooking time on this cake can very. Check your cake at 55 minutes, if it isn’t ready, continue cooking until a toothpick comes out clean (Ours was done at exactly 55 minutes). The result will be a moist and delicious banana cake.
I hope you enjoy this as much as we did!
XOXO,
Molly
Life as a Party of 9 