Best EVER Banana Cake and Cream Cheese Frosting

This is per request of all the people who have asked me to post this OH SO DELICIOUS recipe. I wish it were mine originally, but it's not, it's some lady's named Rhonda J on Recipezaar, but THANKS Rhonda, it is the BEST ever!
She says to cook it at 275, but it takes it a LONG time in my oven on that temp, so I do the first half hour at 325 and the last half at 300, if still not cooked in the middle add another 5-10mins at 275. But try it first at 275 your oven might be different???
Once it's out of the oven you need to do the "freezer-trick" method, where you wrap the top with saran wrap and put it in the freezer for 45mins.
You can half the frosting recipe if you are hoping for more of a glaze look or the whole for a more frosted cake feel...

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups bananas, mashed, ripe (You can even throw black banana's into the freezer until you get enough for 1 1/2C. It takes about 4-6 banana's.)
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 3 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 1/8 cups sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk (Or substitute with milk and lemon juice)

Frosting

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 1/2 cups icing sugar

Garnish

• chopped walnuts
• I like to add fresh fruit to the top. Blueberries, strawberries and raspberries are perfect addition!

Directions:

I think there is about 30 mins prep time, 1hr+ cook time and 45 mins resting time, so keep that in mind when making. You could make this the night before and wait to add the frosting. It's best when cooled thoroughly.

1. 1. Preheat oven to 275°. (Or 325 if you follow me.)
2. 
   
3. 2. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 pan. I use my Demarle Sunflower pan for this recipe and it works perfect! I think you could do a nice two layer cake as well, there is a lot of batter!
4. 
   
5. 3. In a small bowl, mix mashed banana with the lemon juice; set aside.
6. 
   
7. 4. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
8. 
   
9. 5. In a large bowl, cream 3/4 cup butter and 2 1/8 cups sugar until light and fluffy.
10. 
    
11. 6. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then stir in 2 tsp vanilla.
12. 
    
13. 7. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk.
14. 
    
15. 8. Stir in banana mixture.
16. 
    
17. 9. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for one hour or until toothpick inserted in center 
18. comes out clean.

1. 10. Remove from oven and place directly into the freezer for 45 minutes. This will make the cake very moist.
2. 
   
3. 11. For the frosting, cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth.
4. 
   
5. 12. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla.
6. 
   
7. 13. Add icing sugar and beat on low speed until combined, then on high speed until frosting is smooth.
8. 
   
9. 14. Spread on cooled cake.
10. 
    
11. 15. Sprinkle chopped walnuts and or fruit over top of the frosting, if desired.
12. 
    

ENJOY friends!

XO

Jen

CoCa Cola Frosting

This frosting is amazing. I love it on chocolate cake (see prior post) or brownies. It really jazzes up a box brownie mix. Its like pourable fudge with a Coca Cola kick. So tasty!

- 1/2 Cup butter

- 6 Tablespoons Coca Cola

- 2 Tablespoons CoCoa

- 3 1/2 Cups powdered sugar

- 1 teaspoon vanilla

Melt butter. Add coke and cocoa and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and mix into powdered sugar. Add vanilla, mix until smooth and creamy.

TO DIE FOR Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Icing

Listen party people. This is my all time favorite dessert (and I only discovered it a year ago after moving to Hershey, PA). I can not begin to describe the deliciousness of this cake. For all of you that have had chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting at the Hershey Pantry - you know what I am talking about. And you know life will never be the same. For those who haven't - stop what you are doing and make this cake! I don't know who came up with such a brilliant combo - maybe it was someone here who was smelling Reese's in the air. But we gotta get the word out. Here we go.....

Chocolate Cake

• 2 C sugar
• 3/4 C oil
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 C cocoa
• 1 1/2 C boiling water
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 C flour
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Mix together sugar, oil, and eggs.

Add cocoa, baking soda and powder, and water. Mix until combined.

Add flour and vanilla.

Place in a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. (I baked in two 9 inch round pans for 25 minutes.)

Peanut Butter Icing

• 1 1/2 C crisco
• 3/4 C peanut butter
• 1/2 C butter
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla
• 1/4 C + 2 Tbsp. milk
• 1 1/2 lb. powdered sugar

In a mixer, cream together crisco, peanut butter and butter.

Add vanilla. Beat until smooth.

With the mixer at low speed, carefully add milk and powdered sugar.

When sugar is fully incorporated, beat icing on high speed, until fluffy.

Chocolate Ganache

• 1/2 C chocolate chips
• 1/4 C heavy whipping cream

In a saucepan, stir chocolate chips and cream together over medium heat until smooth.

Pour over top of a frosted cake and spread so that ganache drips evenly over all edges of the cake. Let cool until firm.

Homemade Oreos

An oldie but a goody, and the worst picture ever.

1 package of devil's food cake mix

2 eggs

3/4 cup of shortening

blend all together at once.

roll soft dough in small balls on a cookie sheet (don't press down). Bake at 350 degrees for 6-8 minutes (don't over bake)

frosting for the middle:

8 oz. cream cheese

1/2 stick of butter

2 tsp. vanilla

2 to 4 c. powdered sugar

mix until smooth. when cookies are cool frost backs of cookies and make sandwich with another cookie.

Did anyone else make these all the time in high school or was it just me and did you ever think to call them Whoopie Pies before moving to these parts?