Banana cake with cream cheese frosting

Three dreamy layers of deliciousness 

I stumbled upon this recipe in the pre-Pinterest days of Food Gawker. Does anyone use Food Gawker anymore? Anyway, it was called "banana dream cake," and it's been on my must-try list for years. But I just never got around to it; give the people what they want (chocolate). 

So when I pitched the idea of banana cake to my chocolate-loving mom for an upcoming family party, I was surprised and delighted when she ooh-ed and aah-ed at the idea and was totally for it. And this cake really is enough to make a believer out of any chocolate-preferred dessert eater. I mean, peruse the comments on the original recipe and you'll see the rave reviews for yourself: things like "this is the best cake I've eaten in my entire life." No pressure!

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BANANA DREAM CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

WHAT YOU'LL NEED
CAKE BATTER
3/4 cup unsalted butter
2 and 1/8 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla 
3 cups flour
1 and 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
4 oz. applesauce
2 tsp lemon juice
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 bananas)

FROSTING
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 and 1/2 package (12 oz.) cream cheese, softened
2 to 4 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla
cinnamon, for sprinkling

WHAT YOU'LL DO
1. For the cake: Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Grease and flour three round baking pans (the recipe calls for 8-inch, but I only had 9-inch and it worked just fine). 

2. In a small bowl, mix mashed bananas with lemon juice and set aside. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and salt, and set aside. 

3. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla, sour cream, and apple sauce. Beat in the flour mixture, alternating with milk. Stir in the banana mixture.

4. Divide the batter into the prepared pans. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean (I would check after 30 minutes just in case!). 

5. Remove pans from oven and immediately drop into the freezer (don't bother covering them). Let the pans rest in the freezer for 45 minutes; this seals in moisture. If making cake the night before you need it, remove the pans from the freezer after 45 minutes, then remove the cakes from the pans and cover in two layers of plastic wrap to rest overnight. 

6. For the frosting: In a large bowl, cream together butter and cream cheese until smooth. Beat in vanilla. Add powdered sugar and beat on low until combined. *Note: The original recipe called for an insane amount of sugar: 5+ cups! I used 3, but I might even start with 2 next time and see how it tastes. You can always add more! Frost the cake and sprinkle with cinnamon for garnish.

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Popping the cake pans into the freezer is, I think, what really makes this cake so dreamy. Immediately cooling the cakes stops the baking process, locking in moisture. Cakes that rest on the counter are so hot that they will continue to cook (lose moisture) even after leaving the oven. So don't question the freezer method — just do it!

And as you'll see above, this cake went over really well. It seriously was all I could do to convince my family to save me one piece — just one! — to photograph. That's how you know you've got a winner.