Life Is Full Of Banana Peels....

"Life is full of banana peels; you slip and then you carry on."- Daphne Guiness

This post is coming to you all the way from deep within a very sleep deprived haze. I am post night shift and am trying to stay awake for the day so I can get up and go about my busy week tomorrow morning without feeling like I belong on the set of The Walking Dead. Sounds simple enough doesn't it? If you have ever worked a night shift or if you have ever been a new parent of a screaming child, you may be able to empathise. If not lets just chalk it up to epically horrific. That will be my general excuse for poor punctuation and run on sentences, it is also my excuse for the egg I just smashed all over my kitchen floor....sigh.

This week past, I invited my grandparents over for tea. I am lucky to have them in my city and always (as I have mentioned before ), thoroughly enjoy my time with them. I am generally fond of entertaining but it counts most when it is for the people I love! So what did I do? I baked a cake! I had a few bananas kicking around in my freezer and decided that even though banana bread is great (and my Aunt Dot's is the BEST), that a cake may seem a little more special (because they totally deserve it!). Turns out banana cake is delicious, it has a soft crumb and just the right amount of banana flavor. My co-workers seemed to enjoy the left overs as well. Recipe follows, happy baking and even happier tea-party throwing!
-m

Banana Cake
 

·         2c cake flour

·         1 ½ c sugar

·         ½ c butter

·         3 lg bananas

·         2 eggs

·         1 tsp baking soda

·         1 tsp vanilla

·         1tsp cinnamon

·         Pinch of salt

**Tip ; the night before I mash up my bananas and let them sit in the fridge over night, they become very brown and very sweet. You can use freshly mashed bananas too…your choice!

 In a bowl combine mashed bananas and baking soda. Mix and set aside for later.  In another bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well between. Add cinnamon, salt and vanilla. Slowly add flour mixing between each addition- batter will be thick! Add banana mix and stir until just combined (don’t over do it!). Bake at 350 in a buttered 9x13 pan or in two 9” cake pans (buttered!)  for ~25 minutes- or until toothpick comes clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool!

Cream Cheese Frosting!

·         Small tub of cream cheese

·         1 tbs milk

·         2 tsp vanilla

·         1 tsp cinnamon

·         2 ½ c of icing sugar

Combine cheese, milk, vanilla and cinnamon in mixer. Slowly add sugar ½ c at a time and beat until fluffy! Frost cooled cake and enjoy! Nom nom nom….