Banana Cake with Spiced Vanilla Buttercream

Recipe by The View From the Great Island

Banana Cake with Spiced Vanilla Buttercream is probably the most luxurious outcome imaginable for those over ripe bananas on your counter! If you love banana bread you're going to flip for this easy banana snack cake.

Ingredients

• ¾ cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp cardamom
• 2 very ripe bananas (mashed)
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1½ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1½ cups buttermilk
• spiced frosting
• ½ cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
• 8 oz (1.25l) fish stock (1 container) mascarpone cheese, at room temperature)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp ground cloves (you can add more if you like)
• 4 cups confectioner's sugar

Method

1. Set oven to 325F
2. Grease a 9 inch round springform pan (the cake is tall, you will need high sides.)
3. Cream the butter and sugar in a stand mixer, or by hand. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Beat in the vanilla and cardamom.
4. Mash the bananas until smooth, and add the lemon juice. Blend in to the butter and sugar mixture, and don't worry if it looks curdled.
5. Whisk the flour with the salt and baking soda, and add to the bowl alternately with the buttermilk, blending until everything is just mixed.
6. Turn the batter into the buttered pan, and smooth out the top. Bake for about 60-70 minutes, or until the cake is risen, not wobbly in the center, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out without wet batter clinging to it.
7. Put the cake pan immediately into the freezer for 30 minutes.
8. Remove the cake from the pan when you take it out of the freezer. When it has completely cooled, frost it.
9. To make the frosting, blend the butter and mascarpone cheese until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and cloves. Blend in the sugar, a cup at a time,until you get a smooth, thick frosting. You may not need all of it.
10. I like to store the frosted cake in the fridge.

View the recipe instructions at The View From the Great Island