Banana Cream Cake

I am back! Did you check out our delicious Easter menu posts by Kelley last week? If you didn’t have a chance, you must do it now! With posts like this and this your holiday guests will be in awe!
So, that delicious dessert Kelley brought you last week on the tail end of her Easter series is sure to please, but if you are like me and my family, you need to have a whole buffet of desserts for it to actually be called a holiday.

My grandma passed away a few years ago, but when it came to dessert, you loved to make it for her! She just LOVED dessert! We would always have several desserts to choose from at holiday gatherings, and someone was always trying to help her out and get her a plate of dessert that she could enjoy with her must have cup of coffee.

When she was asked what she wanted, she always looked as if it was the worst question she could be asked because there was no way my sweets – loving grandma could turn down a dessert! She would usually finish up with, “umm…just give me a little sliver of each.”

My brothers and I always reply with that answer now when stuff is really good and you just cannot decide. It always makes us laugh when we have a plate filled with desserts and one of us will say, “What? It’s just a sliver of each.”

The reason it is so funny besides the fact that families should have silly inside jokes that no one else understands?

Because look closely at that plate.

It is NOT a sliver of each.

It is a huge hunk of each dessert, ready to be devoured and enjoyed.

Just like grandma’s plate.

This cake will be a sure hit as well! It is the most moist, decadent banana cake I have ever made, and, since I have a slight obsession with banana infused desserts, you know that means something. The whipped cream frosting is a delicious topping to this cake. It is a no fuss dessert that looks beautiful and is perfect for impressing guests at a holiday party, or for digging in with your family after a weekend dinner. Whatever you make it for, you will want to make it again!

This cake should be stored in the refrigerator, but it gets really, really dense. PLEASE leave it out for at least an hour before serving to allow it to come to room temperature. If you are serving it all at once, I would store the cake, minus the whipped cream frosting and fresh bananas in the fridge, covered with plastic wrap. Take out an hour before serving, and let it come to room temperature. Right before serving, slather on the whipped cream frosting and fresh bananas. Serve and enjoy!

Banana Cream Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8×8 baking dish with nonstick spray. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside. In another smaller bowl or using your electric mixer or hand-mixer, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
With an electric mixer, combine egg yolks and sugars. Beat until creamy and combined, then add in vanilla extract and bananas. With the mixer on low speed, add in cooled butter and mix until combined. Add in the dry ingredients, and then add in the buttermilk. Mix until just combined. With a spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the batter.

Pour batter in the greased dish. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until cake is set in the center and slightly golden. Remove from the oven. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, fork or a skewer, poke holes in the top everywhere.

In a small bowl, whisk together condensed milk and evaporated milk. Pour the milk mixture over the cake, letting it seep into the fork holes. Let set for about 45 minutes.
In order to make the frosting, add the cold whipping cream to a bowl and beat until stiff peaks form. Add in the powdered sugar and beat on medium speed to combine. If you are serving the cake immediately, spread whipped cream evenly over the top of the cake.

Slice the fresh bananas and garnish the cake with as many as you want. If you are storing the cake, refrigerate. Store whipped cream in a tightly sealed container until ready to serve. Before serving, let cake come  to room temperature, and then cover with whipped cream and fresh bananas.

*Browned butter: Cut cold butter into tablespoon sized pieces. Heat over low heat until butter begins to brown, but not burn. Watch it carefully. Browned butter should be golden in color and have a delicious, nutty aroma.