Banana Layer Cake
This deliciously tender banana layer cake, makes a 2 layer rectangle cake out of a 9x13 cake or a 3-8" round layer cake.
Ingredients
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 2/3 cups all purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk (or 1 1/2 cups whole milk with 3 tablespoons vinegar)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups ripe, mashed banana, 3 medium bananas- equal to 1 cup
Banana Pastry Cream
- 4 large egg yolks
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- pinch salt
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon banana extract
- 2 cups whole milk
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Prepare 1-13x9 rectangle pan or 3-8" round cake pans. I use a pan release (or grease and flour).
- In the bowl of a mixer, beat butter until smooth.
- Add in the sugar and mix on medium speed until light and fluffy.
- Add one egg at a time, continue mixing on low to medium until each egg is combined.
- Place the buttermilk, vanilla and mash the bananas with a fork until soft, microwave 10 seconds if needed to soften them so they blend smoothly.
- In a medium bowl whisk the flour, baking pwoder, baking soda and salt until blended.
- You'll now alternate the flour and buttermilk mixtures. Start with flour, add buttermilk, flour, and buttermilk, finish with the flour mixture. Mixing on a low speed.
- Pour the batter into the cake pan(s).
- Bake the round pans for 25-30 minues and the 13x9 pan to 45 minutes test with a toothpick, once if comes out clean remoce from the oven.
- Allow the cakes to cool for 10 minutes then turn out to a cooling rack to completely cool. Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze/refrigerate until firm.
- Prepare the pastry cream filling:
- In a medium saucepan mix the sugar cornstarch, and salt. Add in milk and mix well. heat over medium heat, stirring as it heats to dissolve the sugar, and continue stirring. Bringing it to a simmer (small bubbles.
- Remove the pan from the stove, then slowly spoon some milk mixture into a bowl with whisked egg yolks, until blended while stirring well. Then add the egg mixture to the milk mixture whisking until it simmers and thickens, continue cooking for 3 minutes. Add the butter, vanilla, and banana extract and mix well.
- Pour into dish and cover with plastic wrap touching the pastry cream so it stays smooth (and does not form a thick film/skin) refrigerate until it's completely COLD. The thinner the dish for the pastry cream the faster it'll cool.
- Prepare the frosting recipe. Swiss meringue buttercream frosting linked in post.
- Cold cake, layers well. Be sure the pastry cream is cold. You don't want it to be warm, the filling will slide.
- Assemble the cake:
- Place 1 cake layer, pipe frosting around the edge then fill with pastry cream in the middle. If making a 3 -layer round, repeat.
- Use an offset spatula and spread frosting on the sides, then top of the cake. Smooth and even our frosting. Create dollops of frosting to decorate the top of the cake, and add dried banana chips or flowers as desired.
- Refrigerate the cake so everything sets well and firm.
- Remove from the fridge at least 1 hour before serving.