Banana Cake with Peanut Butter Icing

I had a bunch of bananas that had gotten too ripe, and instead of using them in banana nut bread, I pulled out an old recipe that I love!  This is a delicious, simple cake that can be whipped up in no time.  It’s a great way to use up over-ripe bananas and it has an interesting combination of flavors.  It is a “from scratch” cake, not one that starts with a cake mix, but the banana and buttermilk combination makes it moist and delicious!  The icing is simply beating together just 3 ingredients, and it is not overly sweet, but it works well with the cake.

Ingredients for cake:

2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup really ripe bananas, mashed

1 cup buttermilk

2/3 cup shortening

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

Ingredients for icing:

8 ounce pkg. cream cheese, softened to room temperature

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9 x 13 glass cake pan.  Mash one cup of very ripe bananas.  The easiest way to do this, is to peel them and press them down into a measuring cup, mashing with a fork to break them down into a mush.

Be sure to use very ripe soft bananas.  If the bananas aren’t ripe enough, you won’t get the same great flavor.  Set the mashed bananas aside.

Cream shortening and sugar together until well blended.

Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each.  Beat in vanilla.

The next step is to add the dry ingredients alternately with the wet. The easiest way to do this is to first add one cup of flour and the baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the creamed sugar, shortening egg mixture.  Beat this in til well combined.

Then add the mashed banana and the buttermilk and cream well.

Finally, add the rest of the flour (1 1/4 cups) and beat well.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes or so.

Remove from oven and cool completely.

When ready to ice, combine the softened cream cheese, corn syrup and peanut butter and cream until smooth.

Spread over the cooled cake and enjoy with a big glass of milk!