Banana Cake with Fluffy Icing

This yummy cake is one of my mom's favorite dessert recipes.  It's much lighter than banana bread with the same great flavor.  It has a fluffy white icing that is just sweet enough to complement the cake without being overpowering.  Try this with a hot cup of coffee or tea for a treat.  Enjoy!

To make this sweet treat you'll need:

Flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, butter, buttermilk, bananas, eggs, pecans, karo syrup, and vanilla.

First sift together your flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  I often give it a good whisk instead of actually sifting; but if sifting's your thing then you go for it.

Next you'll need to mash your bananas.  You could mash them by hand in a bowl with a fork, but I find I get great results tossing them in my mixer bowl and letting the paddle go at them for a few seconds.

See?  Mashed Bananas!  (If you have small children and you've ever watched The Wiggles, you know what song is going through my head right now.  If not, well, nevermind.  Who loves Captain Feathersword?)

Into the banana bowl add the butter (completely softened), buttermilk, and the flour mixture.  Mix well for about 2 minutes or so.

After your mixture has been well mixed, add the eggs and chopped nuts.  Give it a whirl for about 2 more minutes.

While the eggs and nuts get incorporated, you'll need to grab two 9 inch cake pans and give them a good greasing.  Crisco is your friend here.

Give them a good flouring as well.  We don't want any of that banana goodness to get left behind.

When that's finished, your cake batter should be ready.  Divide the batter evenly between the two pans.  I'm not sure the best way to do that; I usually just eye it...but then again, mine are never, ever the same size.

Bake these in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes.  Your toothpick or cake tester should come out clean when inserted into the middle.  Isn't it beee-uu-teee-ful?

Remove them from the pans and leave them alone to cool.

When the cakes are room temperature, it's time to make your icing.  This doesn't seem like it'll work, but trust me, it will.  In your mixer bowl mix an egg white, the karo syrup, a dash of salt and a teaspoon of vanilla.  I didn't keep track of how long it took, but I'm guessing it takes about 10 minutes or so to fully come together.

Don't give up on it; as it mixes the air will make it lighter and lighter.  It'll get a nice sheen to it as well.

You'll know it's finally done when you lift up your beater and the icing just strings right up with it without letting go.

Give your cakes a good icing (don't forget to ice between the layers like I did this time!).  You can leave it smooth, swirled or you can make peaks like I did.  After you ice the cake, use the back side of a spoon and gently pat it into the icing and pull straight up.  It'll keep those nice little peaks.

My kids called this grandma's hedgehog cake.  She usually did swirls, but I think I may keep making it like this since they've named it now.  It seems pretty fitting.

Enjoy!!


Banana Cake with Fluffy Icing

2 1/2 cups flour
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
3-4 bananas, mashed
2/3 cup butter
2/3 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
2/3 cup chopped nuts (I like pecans)
1 egg white
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
dash of salt

Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Mash bananas in mixer.  Add butter, buttermilk and flour mixture.  Beat 2 minutes or until thoroughly combined. Add 2 eggs and nuts.  Beat 2 more minutes.  Pour into greased and floured 9 inch pans.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

For icing, whip together 1 egg white, corn syrup, vanilla and dash of salt.  Continue beating until icing becomes white and forms stiff peaks that will form a string that stretches from bowl to mixer head when removed.  Frost as desired.