t’s hard to stay on top of banana consumption in my household. A bunch seems to go from green to overripe before we can eat them, and once you have a freezer full of frozen banana bits for smoothies one looks for other ways to use them up.
Of course we’ve all made banana bread, a million times, and it never fails to satisfy. Or banana muffins, banana pancakes, banana omelets (yes banana omelets, they’re actually quite good, mashed banana added to the eggs and topped with sour cream and apricot jam). Or the queen of all things banana, a banana cream layer cake. I haven’t mentioned banana pudding or cream pie because I never use overripe bananas for those desserts.
But on this particular day of banana overload, and knowing I was having dinner guests I decided on a banana snack cake. Gotta love a snack cake, simple and uncomplicated. Easy to eat, can even be handheld in a pinch.
I wanted a thick blanket of honey cream cheese frosting on this cake. There ain’t nothing like a moist piece of sweet banana cake complemented by the creamy tang of cream cheese.
Truth be told, I had to make this recipe twice because we ate the first cake faster than we could photograph it!
Recipe
Cake
1 C sugar
1/3 C butter, room temperature
1 C mashed ripe bananas
1/4 C plain yogurt
1 T vanilla
1 egg
1 1/4 C flour
1 t baking powder
1 t salt
1/2 t baking powder
1 t freshly grated nutmeg
Frosting
8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
2 T butter room temperature
2 T honey
1 t vanilla
2 C powdered sugar
Heat oven to 350 and butter a 8×8 or 9×9 pan, set aside.
In a medium bowl beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the mashed banana and beat until smooth. Add the yogurt, vanilla, and egg and beat until well blended.
In a small bowl whisk flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and nutmeg. Stir the dry ingredient into the wet until thoroughly blended and no traces of flour remain.
Spoon the batter into the buttered pan and bake 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle and removed comes out dry, or the cake springs back when lightly touched.
Let cake cool completely before frosting.
To make the frosting combine the cream cheese, butter, honey, and vanilla in a medium bowl and whip on high until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Spoon the frosting onto the cooled cake and smooth with a spatula and serve.
This cake will last several days covered in the fridge, or for a several months wrapped well and frozen, that is assuming you didn’t eat it in one sitting.
Serves 9-12 depending on how big a piece you like.
