The other day as I was looking in my freezer I noticed my collection of black bananas had considerably grown.  Whenever bananas get too ripe for me to enjoy, I toss them in the freezer as a way of preserving them for some other use.  As a kid growing up on a farm in a household that was “less than wealthy”, we were taught not to waste food.  Now as an adult I completely understand and appreciate this valuable principle my parents were trying to instill in all of us.  I decided it was time to do something with some of my rescued fruit, but what?

Banana bread of course was the first thing that came to mind and I almost went there, but that is what I always do and I wanted something different.  Then out of the blue I recalled a cake I had as a kid. In the rural setting we grew up in there would be community dinners or pot-lucks every so often, usually in the basement of a nearby church.  One of the families always brought a banana cake with vanilla frosting to the suppers.  I remembered just how much I loved that cake,  and realized I had not seen or even thought about a banana cake in decades.

I set about searching for the perfect cake recipe to use up some of my bananas.  During my searching I realized that banana cake really is considered a retro dessert. Very popular in the 50’s and 60’s, the appearance of this dessert has become rather scarce.  Most of the recipes I came across were titled “Old Fashioned” or “Grandmothers” banana cake.  I settled on this recipe which reminds me of the cake I had as a kid.  I also liked the fact the author of the recipe was written by Mamie, not a name you see often today, but most likely someones grandmother.  For the frosting I turned to someone who has been around for a long time and was there before retro was retro, the sweet talker herself Betty Crocker.  Of course I had to pimp up this dessert a bit by making it a 4 story cake, and adding toasted walnuts and drizzles of chocolate and peanut butter.  Far from that church basement dessert I so fondly remember, this cake really is a rock star of cakes.

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Banana Layer Cake with Vanilla Frosting

Moist and delicious banana layer cake with a creamy vanilla frosting. Popular in the 50’s and 60’s this recipe gives this retro treat a new twist.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, Retro

Prep Time 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings 16 Slices

Ingredients

Cake

• ½ cup butter 1 stick, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs slightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup ripe bananas 3 to 4, mashed
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2¼ cups all-purpose flour sifted
• 2½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans optional

Frosting

• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup butter softened
• 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon vanilla powder optional
• 1-2 Tablespoons milk

Instructions

Cake

• Heat oven to 375ºF.
• Grease and flour 2 – 9″ cake pans.
• Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add eggs and vanilla. Mix well to combine.
• In a separate bowl combine bananas and buttermilk.
• Sift together all dry ingredients.
• Add flour mixture to butter and sugar a third at a time, alternating with banana buttermilk mixture.
• Fold in nuts if desired.
• Divide batter equally between the two prepared cake pans and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
• Remove cakes from pans and cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

Frosting

• Mix together powdered sugar and butter with a spoon or a mixer on low-speed.
• Add vanilla and 1 Tablespoon of the milk.
• Gradually add in just enough remaining milk to make the frosting smooth and spreadable. If frosting becomes to thick, slowly add more milk a few drops at a time. If frosting is too thin, add small amount of powdered sugar.

Assemble

• Cut cakes in half to create 4 layers
• Spread frosting between layers to stack
• Stand in fridge for 30 minutes to firm up before frosting top and sides
• Gently press chopped walnuts on to the sides of the cake
• Decorate with melted chocolate and butterscotch (optional)

Notes

This recipe was written by Mamie L. Christopherson which I found on Relish.com. I used two 6″ cake pans to make a tall 4 layer cake. Baking time described is for 2 – 9″ cake pans. If using different sized pans, adjust time accordingly.