Banana Cake with Double Chocolate Icing

February is a busy month, not only for everyone but for our family as well.  In fact sometimes it’s so busy there is an extra day added every four years just to catch your breath.  There is the Super Bowl, there is Presidents Day, there is that Hallmark-created ‘holiday’ that has men ordering flowers online and paying for overnight shipping or running to Walgreens late on February 13th…Tonya and I celebrate our wedding anniversary around the same time as well.

Our family also has several birthdays in February including nieces, as well as Tonya’s mother, which is the inspiration for this recipe.  The family takes birthdays pretty seriously and it usually involves either cake or some sort of dessert.  As Tonya started her culinary journey with cakes and desserts, it’s only natural, and usually expected, that she creates many wonderful cakes for friends and family.

This cake is another great example.  What better combination than bananas and…chocolate?  You have a fruit…which is healthy…and you have chocolate, which is…chocolate…It’s banana bread with icing!!!

• Servings: 12-15
• Time: 1hr 30minutes
• Difficulty: medium
• Print

Cake

¾ cup of butter, softened

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

2 tsps vanilla

1 ½ cups mashed bananas

1 ½ cups buttermilk

3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

¼ tsp salt

1 ½ tsps baking soda

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine butter and sugar.  Mix well.  Add eggs one at a time, beat well after each egg. Stir in vanilla and bananas until well combined.  In a separate bowl stir together flour, salt and baking soda.  Alternately add the buttermilk and flour mixture to the banana mixture, beginning and ending with the flour.  Pour into greased and floured nine-inch round cake pan.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Remove from oven, cool slightly, then remove from pans.

Icing

1 cup butter, softened

1 lb powdered sugar                                                                                             

1/3 cup cocoa

2 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled

¼ cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

Cream butter in a mixer.  Stir in powdered sugar. Add cocoa and unsweetened chocolate. Mix well.  Stir in vanilla and milk.  Mix well.  If icing is too stiff, add more milk until desired consistency.  Ice the Banana cake layers.

Now in my opinion Tonya’s cakes are best paired with a glass of cold milk but try this beer I bought at The Casual Pint located in Franklin, TN. (click here to virtually visit The Casual Pint)  The beer is an oatmeal stout from New Holland Brewing called The Poet.  New Holland is based in Holland, MI and The Poet is one of their year-round brews that has a malty and, of course, roasted oats taste that pairs well with chocolate.