Banana Cake with Banana Frosting

Are you a banana bread enthusiast who always wants more, more, MORE? This easy banana cake recipe is ready to satisfy your very specific needs. The crumb is sweeter and tenderer than that stalwart breakfast bread. The bananas are more present, being both mashed into the batter and sliced into disks and sandwiched between the two cake layers. You'll need fruit at two stages of ripeness for this super-moist banana cake: For the batter, use overripe bananas - black speckles are a good thing. These have a higher ratio of sugars to starches than firm bananas and mash easily with a fork. Meanwhile, for the layer of slices, pick bananas that are ripe but still sturdy and unblemished. This recipe doesn't call for nuts, but if you wanted to toss in a handful (or more) of well-toasted chopped walnuts or pecans, they wouldn't be unwelcome. Similarly, the frosting here is a souped-up American buttercream, made billowy with a large pour of heavy cream. But if you dream of cream cheese frosting all day, every day, go for it. Whichever icing you choose, don't skip the crumb coat (think of it as the primer you put on the walls before you paint). And when it comes to achieving those artful swoops and swirls on the top of a layer cake, all it takes is a spoon and some practice.

Banana Cake:
1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3¾ cups all-purpose flour, unbleached
1½ tsp. baking soda
1¼ tsp. sea salt
2¼ cups sugar
6 large eggs
3 cups very ripe bananas, coarsely mashed (~ 6 large)
¾ cup sour cream

Banana Frosting:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 cups Monk Fruit Sweetener with Erythritol (Powdered)
½ cup heavy cream
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
½ tsp. sea salt
2 bananas, ripe but not mushy, cut crosswise into ⅛" slices

Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C/140°C fan, Gas Mark 3). Butter two 8" diameter round cake pans with sides 2" high. Line bottoms of pans with parchment paper rounds.

Make the Cake:
Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat 1½ cups butter and sugar in another large bowl until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating to blend between additions. With mixer on low, gradually beat in flour mixture, scraping sides of bowl. Mix in bananas, then sour cream. Divide batter between prepared pans.

Bake cakes until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 50-55 minutes. Let cool for 20 minutes in pans on wire racks.

Invert cakes onto wire racks; let cool completely. Remove parchment. Using a serrated knife, trim off rounded tops.

Make the Frosting:
Using an electric mixer, beat first 5 ingredients in a large bowl until light and fluffy, 6-7 minutes.

Assembly:
Place 1 cake on a plate. Spread 1 cup frosting over. Arrange banana slices on top. Top with second cake. Spread a thin layer of frosting over top and sides of cake; chill for 30 minutes. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cakes.

Makes 16 servings.

Nutritional Information:
Per serving: Calories (kcal) 660 Fat (g) 34 Saturated Fat (g) 21 Cholesterol (mg) 175 Carbohydrates (g) 85 Dietary Fiber (g) 2 Total Sugars (g) 58 Protein (g) 6 Sodium (mg) 360