Banana Cake with Maple Frosting #recipe @lucyburdette

LUCY BURDETTE: Last week, we ended up with three bunches of bananas on the counter—John bought two before he noticed that I’d come home with another. Naturally they all began to ripen at the same time. We like bananas, but not that well! Then visions of banana cake with frosting containing maple syrup came bounding into my mind. Not a bad outcome! So I went on the hunt...

The bones of the cake I borrowed from The Gunny Sack, though their icing sounded too sweet and I wanted to use real syrup, not maple flavoring. So I cut the butter and the sugar in the frosting in half.

Baking soda is a challenge for bakers and eaters who need to watch their sodium—over 1200 mg in one teaspoon. I used the no sodium kind, which simply doesn’t work as well, even when doubled. However flat the cake turned out, the taste was still delicious! Next time I might bake it in a smaller pan…or even walk on the wild side and try low sodium baking powder, which is much more successful.

Banana Cake



4 oz cream cheese, softened

½ cup butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup sugar

½ cup brown sugar

3 eggs

1 cup mashed, ripe bananas (2 and ½ in my case)

2 cups flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda, 2 if using low sodium

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting



4 oz cream cheese, softened

4 oz unsalted butter, room temperature

2 Tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups powdered sugar

Instructions



With your mixer (handheld or Kitchenaid) beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla. Beat the sugars in, followed by the eggs and mashed bananas. Add the dry ingredients (flour, salt, and baking soda) and beat briefly.

Pour the batter into a greased pan (9 by 13 is what I used) and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

For the icing, beat together cream cheese and butter for 1 minute.

Add maple syrup and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Taste for maple intensity.

Add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating after each cup. Frost the cake when cool. Hey, this could work for mother's day!

oh yummy!

Lucy writes the Key West food critic mysteries. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram!