Since family was in town to visit our little Judah, we were able to celebrate my dad's birthday together last Saturday. Because of Judah's arrival, I was not able to get out and buy a gift, so instead I made him his favorite cake with a twist and bought him some eggnog from our local dairy. I learned that when my dad was a child my grandmother would always make him a banana cake for his birthday. It was his favorite. I'm not sure why this was never known to me until last week! I'm sure it's because my dad never goes on about his favorite foods. He is just always content with whatever is placed in front of him. You see, he's not like me and my mom. We rave about certain dishes while my dad doesn't see what is the big deal. Well, after he had some of this cake, he showed a new side and expressed how much he loved it.
The original recipe for the cake uses a 9x13 cake pan, but I used my Wilton Tasty-Fill pan so I could fill it with a coffee ice cream center. (Coffee is another fave of my dad's.) Unfortunately, I couldn't find a link to the 9-inch size pan I have and instead have linked you to the miniature ones to give you the idea. I baked both pans (had more than enough batter) but only used one layer then topped with whipped cream. The whipped cream melted to the sides as the cake sat out to thaw before slicing. I think it added a neat look to it.
Don't let the oven temperature throw you off. It may seem low, but it bakes for a long time and turns out perfectly!
You can make this cake without the ice cream filling and use your choice of cake pan. The original recipe also includes a cream cheese frosting. This cake is moist and full of flavor! We have more left over in our freezer, and I can't wait to have another slice!
Banana Cake
¾ cup butter
2 ¼ cups sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 ½ cups buttermilk
2 teaspoons lemon juice
3 ripe bananas, mashed
Preheat oven to 275˚F.
Grease and flour your choice pan. (Time and temperature reflects a 9x13 or Tasty-Fill pan)
In a small bowl, mix mashed bananas with the lemon juice; set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda, spices and salt; set aside.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Stir in banana mixture.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for 60 - 90 minutes, or until it passes the toothpick test. Cool on rack.
(I cooled my cake for 10 minutes in the pan, then completely out of the pan on a wire rack. Then, wrapped it with plastic wrap and froze it for 2 hours. Meanwhile, I let some store-bought coffee ice cream soften on the counter, then filled in the cavities of the frozen cake. I topped with whipped cream and froze it over night. When ready to serve, let it sit for 10 minutes on counter before slicing.)
Source: Cake Recipe adapted from Erin Cooks
