Recipe 73: Banana Cake

Today's Betty Crocker title was earned when I said I was making banana cake. But not any regular banana cake, gluten and casein free banana cake. No major occasion, just Amy and I having dinner. And planning our trip to Colorado. But why not have fun and do it with a cake?

I cut the recipe in half, because Amy and I didn't need a huge cake. So I made one small round cake. I did use two bananas, because the flavor of the gluten-free flour was very potent. A dry, heavy flavor. I also used a soy butter and soy buttermilk (lemon juice in soy milk). I also had a bit of a sugar problem. I measured out 1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons. But I didn't have enough. I was just short of the 1/2 cup. So I added in 1 tablespoon of brown sugar. And left out the nuts (are you surprised? I always do!) Then I baked it for 40 minutes, and it was a beautiful golden color. It came out of the pan very easily, and I let it cool while I went to work.

When I got back, I mixed up the chocolate frosting (a caramel frosting kind of weirded me out). And I kind of rounded the measurements, since I cut the recipe in thirds. I used 1 cup of powdered sugar, 1.5 tablespoons (I think?) of cocoa, some vanilla, and soy milk until it was spreadable. But the soy milk made the frosting more liquidity than I thought it would. So...less milk. It was fine for me, because it was very light, more like a glaze. But if I was making a layer cake, it would have had to be thicker.

But the cake is very sweet, and the banana flavor is definitely there, but not over powering. And the chocolate frosting was very light and enhanced every flavor. Once the cake baked, you couldn't even notice the strange flavor of the gluten-free flour. Oh! And the cake was VERY moist. I think almost even more moist then banana bread. Yummy! I think I have a new favorite cake!

From Betty Crocker's Baking Basics, 2009

Sorry for the poor quality!

Cake Ingredients (for 13x9 inch cake or 2 layer cake)

3 very ripe medium bananas, peeled

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1/2 cup buttermilk (or 1/4 tablespoon plus milk)

1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 large eggs

2/3 cups chopped nuts

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray bottom and sides of either one 13x9 inch pan or two 8-inch or 9-inch pans.

2. In a medium bowl, place the bananas. Mash with a potato masher or fork to measure 1 1/2 cups.

3. In a large bowl, beat the mashed bananas and remaining ingredients except nuts and frosting with an electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, stopping frequently to scrape batter from side and bottom of bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat on high speed 3 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape bowl. With a spatula, stir in the nuts. Pour batter in 13x9-inch pan or round cake pans; use a rubber spatula to scrape bowl, spread batter evenly in pan and smooth top of batter.

4. Bake 13x9-inch pan for 45-50 minutes, round pans 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

5. Cool 13x9-inch cake in pan completely on cooling rack, about 1 hour. Cool round cake pans in pans 10 minutes, then remove onto cooling racks to finish cooling completely.

6. Make frosting. Top, or layer cakes.

Frosting Ingredients

3 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup baking cocoa

1/3 cup butter or margarine, room temperature

2 teaspoon vanilla

3 to 4 tablespoons milk

Mix together powdered sugar and cocoa. Mix in butter. Then add vanilla. Add vanilla one tablespoon at a time until desired consistency.