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Banana Cake

This classic recipe produces a delightful two-layer banana cake, featuring a moist and tender crumb bursting with natural banana flavor. It is generously topped with a rich, smooth, and wonderfully fluffy cooked vanilla pudding-based icing, creating a timeless dessert perfect for any occasion.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Course lunch/dinner
Cuisine American
Calories 7013.1 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 Electric Mixer stand mixer or hand mixer for cake batter and icing
  • 2 9-inch Round Cake Pans
  • 3 Mixing Bowls various sizes for ingredients, batter, and egg whites
  • 1 Saucepan for cooking the vanilla pudding
  • 1 Fine-Mesh Sifter for dry ingredients

Ingredients
  

Main

  • 1 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
  • 2 eggs separated
  • 2 or 3 bananas mashed
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup sour milk or buttermilk
  • 2 1/4 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 large package vanilla pudding not instant
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions
 

  • For the cake: Mix sugar and shortening until creamy. Add egg yolks and bananas, beat thoroughly. Dissolve soda in sour milk. Sift flour, baking powder and salt. Mix alternately. Add vanilla. Beat egg whites until stiff and fold into batter. Pour into a buttered 9-inch round cake. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 40 minutes.
  • For the icing: Cream the sugar, shortening and butter until light and fluffy. Cook vanilla pudding with milk until very thick. Cool and add to butter mixture. Mix with electric mixer at high speed for 15 minutes or until it is not grainy. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla. Ice the cake with the icing.

Notes

For optimal flavor, use very ripe, spotty bananas; they provide more sweetness and a deeper banana aroma. Ensure all cold ingredients for the cake, especially eggs and buttermilk, are at room temperature for a smoother, better-emulsified batter. When folding in the beaten egg whites, do so gently to maintain their airiness, which contributes to the cake's light texture. For the icing, it is critical that the cooked vanilla pudding is completely cooled to room temperature before being added to the creamed butter mixture; otherwise, the icing will be runny and difficult to set. Mixing the icing with an electric mixer for the full 15 minutes is key to achieving a smooth, non-grainy, and fluffy consistency. For an enhanced flavor profile, consider adding a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg to the cake batter.