This is called a large cake for a reason. Use your biggest bowl—this recipe barely fits in my Kitchen-Aide bowl. The cake is so good an ex-boyfriend, before we decided to not get hitched, wanted it for his groom’s cake.
Mom’s Large Banana Nut Cake
3 cups sugar
1 cup butter, softened
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp soda
3 cups flour (sifted 4 times with soda and salt)
1 cup chopped pecans
6 darkened over-ripe bananas, mashed
Ingredients for frosting:
1 eight-ounce package of cream cheese, softened
1 1-pound box of powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Directions for cake:
Preheat oven to 325°F.
Grease and flour four 10-inch round cake pans. You can also bake in a 13×9 inch quarter-sheet-cake pan, but you run the risk of the cake overflowing unless you make three or four cupcakes and bake them separately. You may also use 3 8×5 inch loaf pans or 4 eight-inch round cake pans.
Cream sugar and butter together until light and fluffy.
Blend in eggs, one at a time.
Add vanilla.
Blend in dry ingredients in thirds, alternating with buttermilk
Add bananas and nuts. Mix well.
Bake at 325°F for 45-60 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.
Let cool 10 minutes, then remove cakes from pan and place on cooling rack.
When completely cool, frost with cream cheese frosting.
Directions for frosting:
Beat cream cheese until light and fluffy.
Add powdered sugar and beat well.
If needed, add a bit of buttermilk to thin to a spreading consistency.
Frost cake and garnish with pecan halves.
