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Prep Time: 40 Minutes Cook Time: 50 Minutes |
Ready In: 90 Minutes Servings: 8 |
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Sandra Sowis of Allenhurst, New Jersey, writes: My mother loved bananas and used them in anything she could dream up. She made this banana cake for my birthday more than ten years ago, and it has traditionally been my birthday cake ever since. Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr Ingredients:
2 cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising; sift before measuring) plus additional for pans |
1 teaspoon baking powder |
1/4 teaspoon salt |
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened |
1 cup granulated sugar |
3 large eggs |
1 teaspoon vanilla |
1/2 cup whole milk |
4 to 5 ripe large bananas |
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice |
1 cup well-chilled heavy cream |
1/2 cup superfine granulated sugar |
1/2 teaspoon vanilla |
Directions:
1. Make cake layers: Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 2 (9-inch) round cake pans and line bottom of each with a round of parchment or wax paper. Butter paper, then dust pans with flour, knocking out excess.
2. Whisk together 2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes with a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a handheld. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low and add half of flour mixture, mixing until blended. Add milk and mix until just combined, then add remaining flour mixture, mixing just until batter is smooth.
4. Divide batter evenly between cake pans, smoothing tops. Bake in middle of oven until cake is springy to the touch and a tester inserted in center of each cake layer comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool in pans on racks 10 minutes, then invert onto racks, remove paper, and cool completely.
5. Assemble cake: Peel bananas and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices, then lightly brush with lemon juice (to prevent discoloring).
6. Beat cream with superfine sugar and vanilla in a bowl with cleaned beaters at medium speed until it just holds stiff peaks.
7. Put 1 cake layer on a cake plate and spread with 3/4 cup whipped cream. Top with 1 layer of banana slices arranged side by side. Arrange second cake layer over bananas and spread remaining cream over top and sides of cake. Arrange remaining bananas, overlapping slightly, on top of cake.
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