Banana Cake with Cream Cheese
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 4/3 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 large ripe mashed bananas
- 1/2 cup fine granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup vegetable shortening
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons chopped hazelnuts
Filling
- 3 large bananas, sliced
Cream cheese frosting
- 200 grams cream cheese
- 2 tablespoons soft butter
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 5 cups powdered sugar
Preparation
Place the wire rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 180°C.
Prepare two 8-inch round cake pans by greasing them with shortening, lining the bottoms with parchment paper, and dusting the sides with flour. Remove any excess flour.
Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt onto a piece of parchment paper or into a deep plate.
In the mixer bowl, combine sugar and shortening. Attach the whisk attachment and mix on medium speed for 3 minutes until creamy. Add vanilla and eggs gradually while mixing until all are incorporated.
Add mashed banana, buttermilk, hazelnuts, and the flour mixture, and mix for a minute. Divide the batter evenly between the pans.
Bake the pans in the oven for 25 minutes until the cake is fully baked. Test with a wooden toothpick; it should come out clean.
Remove from oven and cool slightly on a wire rack. Then invert onto a cardboard base or wire rack to cool completely and remove parchment paper.
For the cream cheese frosting, in the mixer bowl, combine cream cheese, butter, lemon zest, and powdered sugar. Attach the whisk attachment and mix on medium speed until smooth and homogeneous.
To assemble the cake, place one cake layer on a serving plate, spread half the frosting over it, add half the banana slices, place the second layer on top, and spread the remaining frosting and banana slices.
Refrigerate the banana cake for an hour to set.
