Today I decided to make my dad a birthday cake using this fluffy and luxurious Chocolate Banana Cake recipe and to top it all off with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting! Typically, I don't usually make many iced cakes, as they are quite time consuming, but I really wanted to make one for my dad's birthday, as it's the big 5-0. While it did end up taking about 6 hours to make (some of this time was also used for cleanup and taking photos, so without that maybe 4-1/2hrs?), it was totally worth it! Usually when I make a cake I get a bit tired and try to speed it along, but this time I took the time to make it the 'proper' way and it turned out way better. In fact, I think this ended up being the best iced cake I've made so far!
As for alterations, tips, and tricks, I'll list them down below, as it's easier to read:
1) 1-1/4 cup mashed bananas = 3 medium sized bananas (use ripe bananas for the best flavour and for a softer cake)
2) I used butter instead of margarine (1:1 ratio) and it still worked out perfectly :)
3) I used 1 tbsp of lemon juice to add to the milk to make sour milk/buttermilk instead of vinegar and it worked out great :)
4) I used two 9" cake pans instead of 8" as it was what I had on hand and it still worked out. The cake will end up a bit thinner and will bake faster this way.
5) I greased each cake pan with margarine and then measured parchment paper to line the cake pans. This makes it easier to take out of the pan after they finish cooling.
6) It took exactly 40 minutes to bake at 350F.
7) In terms of cooling, I wanted to speed up the process, so I put both of them in the freezer and they were completely cool within 40 minutes or so.
Leveling:
1) I used a large bread knife to level each cake. Make sure to take the cake out of the pan before attempting to do this.
2) Make sure to ease your way around the top of the cake to make it flat and even. For more tips, look at the link below :)
Frosting:
1) Make this while your cake is baking and cooling to spend less time in the kitchen. I ended up having to make 4 batches of the recipe below, as the recipe is a bit short in terms of being able to frost a two-layer cake.
2) I modified this by adding 1 tsp of vanilla extract and 1 tbsp of milk to the frosting instead of 1-1/2 tsps of vanilla and 2 tbsps of milk, as I found it was too watery and changed the colour too much otherwise.
3) Make sure you sift the icing sugar, as this will make it smoother and fluffier. I ended up using a sifter attachment for my Kitchenaid mixer and it makes it so much easier! I would highly recommend getting one if you tend to make a lot of cakes and frosting, as it also has a scale attachment :)
4) As for frosting the cake, I ended up doing a crumb coat and a final coat of frosting to give at an even appearance. After the crumb coat I put it in the fridge for 50 minutes rather than an hour and it still worked out well.
5) I highly recommend using hot water for your flat spatula to make it even on top.
6) As for food colouring, I used toothpicks to put into food colouring gels to add to a bowl of frosting and also a fork to blend the colour in completely.
7) Voila! You have made a delicious Chocolate Banana Cake with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting!
You could also pair this with a chocolate frosting recipe, but I thought it might be too 'chocolatey'. However, if you do prefer a chocolate frosting, you can add cocoa powder (about 1/4-1/2 cup depending on your preference) to the vanilla frosting recipe. Overall, this recipe turned out really well and I would highly recommend making it, as it not only looks good, but tastes delicious too! Have fun baking :)
Here is the link to the Chocolate Banana Cake recipe: food.com
Here is the link to the Vanilla Buttercream Frosting recipe: allrecipes.com
Here is the link on 'How to Level a Cake': tasteofhome.com
Here is the link on 'How to Frost a Cake': joythebaker.com
Photos by: (c) 2020 Lauren Tang
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