Super Moist Banana Cake...rather, half a layer cake!
Super Moist Banana Cake… rather, half a layer cake!
Ever wanted layer cake, but not a whole one? This cake is super moist with great banana flavor and enough cake for you and a few friends! Cream cheese, butter cream frosting... adds the perfect YUM factor!
Super Moist Banana Cake… rather half a layer cake!
Yield: 4 – 6 slices
Ingredients:
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 large or extra large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 large ripe bananas, mashed (~ 1 ¼ cups)
- ¾ cup low fat milk + 1 teaspoon lemon juice (or buttermilk)
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Frosting:
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup butter, softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 – 2 tablespoons milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
Equipment needed:
- Stand up mixer or hand mixer
- Medium mixing bowl
- Rubber spatula
- Measuring spoons
- Dry measuring cups
- 8 – 9 inch Spring form pan or single round layer pan
- Serrated knife
- Flat-edged or offset spatula
- Serving or dinner plate
I love cake, but usually only want a couple pieces and wind up throwing the rest away (or eating it all)! Making only half a layer cake helps me with all of these problems… if you call them that. It also helps the waistline, as it prevents me from eating an entire cake over a few days time… contains bananas, which I consider ‘nutritious’! As you can see, besides bananas you don’t need very many ingredients to create this lusciously, moist cake! I only had one egg one day too, which started this whole baking experiment. Due to the sweetness of the banana, there is not a lot of added sugar compared to most cakes. Final product looks impressive served as well!
Preheat oven to 350 F.
This recipe follows many common baking steps, creaming fat/sugars and adding liquid ingredients. Start with creaming butter and sugars by beating on medium-low speed, until smooth. Add the egg and banana. Continue beating for 1 – 2 minutes to incorporate air into the mix. Add the milk with lemon juice or buttermilk. The bit of lemon or buttermilk increases the acid in the baked good and improves the tender texture of the final cake.
Now for the dry ingredients! Cake is a type of quick bread, so dry ingredients will be added to the ‘wet’ or liquids. Some cakes recipes call for adding the milk and dry ingredients alternately until the batter is formed. This recipe is easy, as dry ingredients are added all at once, but after you combine and stir them in a separate bowl. This helps to ensure leavening agents are dispersed evenly. So after you stir them together with a fork or wire whisk, add to mixing bowl with liquids. Blend on low speed until evenly moistened. Stop mixer and scrape down sides. Continue to mix on medium speed for an additional 2 minutes.
While after is mixing, prep your baking pan. I like using a spring form pan so I don’t have to worry about the moist cake come out in one piece. Spray pan lightly with baking spray or vegetable spray. If you don’t have a spring form pan, use a 9-inch round cake pan and be sure to line the pan with waxed or parchment paper to prevent sticking. Pour batter into prepared, greased pan and place in preheated oven. After closing oven door, bump temperature up to 375 F. This will help with oven spring and help cake rise quickly in oven.
Bake cake for 35 – 38 minutes or until center bounces back when pushed down. Toothpick or cake tester might come out with a bit of goo, but don’t be tempted to over bake. Cake will continue to bake in the hot pan for a few minutes or until it cools considerably. Remove from pan after cake has cooled for at least 10 minutes, by running a knife along the edges of pan and undoing the spring on the pan. Cake pans that need to be inverted should cool a bit more, peel off the paper on the bottom and then reset cake to original position to prevent flattening of the rounded top.
Frosting!!
Cream cheese, butter cream frosting is the best to top this cake! Super easy too! These four ingredients, plus a little milk is all you need.
In a medium mixing bowl, place powdered sugar, softened cream cheese and butter, vanilla and 1 tablespoon of the milk. Blend slowly to avoid powdered sugar going everywhere! Gradually increase mixer speed to medium high. Add additional tablespoon of milk if frosting is still extremely thick. Frosting needs to be spreadable, but not too thin so it runs off the cake as it warms up.
Now to assemble your half cake. Take cake layer and frosting, cut layer in half. This is where I love using a spring form pan, as I can easily lift cake off and on to a plate or frost it right on the spring form base. If serving at a party, I’d place half on a decorative plate and get ready to frost or ice your cake.
Scoop about ½ cup of frosting and place in the middle of the half layer. Spread past frosting and make sure it is thicker around the edges. Lift second layer and evenly place on top of frosting. Place remaining frosting on top of cake and spread to cover outer uncut surface. No need to coat the cut part of the cake, as this will be part of the slice.
Doesn’t this look yummy! Oh boy, are you in for a treat… Moist, banana cake with gooey frosting! Delish!! Enjoy!