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It was one of those conversations that just was going sideways. I had just suggested three, yes three, different desserts to try this past weekend.

Her responses grew in intensity. “Chocolate cookies. Chocolate pie,” her voice began to rise. “Chocolate cake.” Now she was loud.

She continued in strong style, “There are flavors other than chocolate. Go search.”

I can take a hint. I can even take an order.

Recently we enjoyed a magnificent chocolate cake from Lisa Yockelson. You can see that Chocolate Comfort Cake with Creamy Chocolate Frosting right here. But a few pages on, in her great book Baking Style,” Lisa offers up this recipe: A Gentle Banana Cake.

Lisa notes that his cake is about two things: the inherent banana flavor of the cake and the contrast of a cream cheese frosting. Or, as she puts it, the perfect cream cheese frosting. She’s right about that frosting. And the cake is unburdened with extra spices or flavors. No cinnamon or nutmeg here. It’s “just” banana and vanilla to give you that, yes, gentle banana flavor. Oh, yes, there is the additional touch of buttermilk tang.

We took this cake to a family party. I was expecting to take home the leftovers for breakfast the next day. The next day, I had coffee for breakfast. Just coffee. I was unhappy. The family was pleased. Make this cake and you’ll be please, too!


A Gentle Banana Cake

Yield: one 13 X 9-inch cake, yield 20 squares

Ingredients:

For the cake:

  • 2 ⅔ cups plus 1 tablespoon unsifted bleached cake flour
  • ½ cup unsifted bleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ pound (16 tablespoons or 2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 2 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cups coarsely mashed ripe bananas (about 3 large bananas)
  • ⅔ cup plus 4 tablespoons buttermilk

For the frosting:

  • One 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) cool unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size chunks
  • 4 ¾ cups confectioners’ sugar sifted with ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 2 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Film the inside of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking pan with nonstick flour-and- oil spray.

For the batter, sift the cake flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt onto a sheet of waxed paper.

Cream the butter in the large bowl of a freestanding electric mixer on I moderate speed for 4 minutes. Add the granulated sugar in 3 additions, 1 beating for 1 minute after each portion is added. Beat in the whole eggs, one at a time. Blend in the egg yolks and vanilla extract. Blend in the mashed bananas. On low speed, alternately add the sifted mixture in 3 additions with the buttermilk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with the sifted mixture. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with a rubber spatula to keep the batter even-textured.

Spoon and scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan. Smooth the top with a rubber spatula.

Bake the cake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until risen, set, and a wooden pick withdraws clean when tested about 2 inches from the center of the cake. Cool the cake completely in the pan on a cooling rack.

For the frosting, beat the cream cheese and butter in the large bowl of a freestanding electric mixer on moderately low speed for 3 minutes, or until very smooth but not lightened. Beat in half of the confectioners’ sugar-salt mixture and the vanilla extract. Add the remaining confectioners’ sugar-salt mixture in 2 additions, beating until incorporated. Beat on moderate speed for 1 minute, raise the speed to high, and beat for 2 minutes longer, or until quite creamy. From time to time, stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl to create a smooth, evenly blended frosting.

Spread the freshly made frosting on top of the cake. Let the frosting set for 1 hour before cutting the cake into squares for serving, using a medium-width offset metal spatula to remove the squares.


Source: Baking Style by Lisa Yockelson [Wiley, 2011]

Photo Information: Canon T2i, EFS 60mm Macro Lens, F/4 for 1/50th second at ISO‑100