Southern Living Marvelous Banana Cake

Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 3 cups sugar
• 2 cups mashed bananas
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons bourbon (i used juice) or 2 tablespoons orange juice (i used juice)
• 1 cup chopped pecans (can be omitted)
• 1/2 cup mashed banana
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 16 ounces powdered sugar, sifted plus an additional
• 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 3 -4 tablespoons milk
• 1 cup coconut, toasted (i omitted)
• 2/3 cup finely chopped pecans (i omitted)

Recipe

• 1 cream butter; gradually add sugar, beating will at medium speed of an electric mixer.
• 2 add bananas; mix until smooth.
• 3 stir in eggs.
• 4 combine flour and baking soda; add to banana mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture (mixing after each addition).
• 5 stir in vanilla, bourbon (or juice) and pecans.
• 6 pour batter into 3 greased and floured 9 inch round cake pans.
• 7 bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes; cool in pans 10 minutes and remove cake from pans.
• 8 cool completely on wire racks.
• 9 spread banana nut frosting between layers and on top of cake.
• 10 yield: one 3 layer cake.
• 11 banana nut frosting:.
• 12 combine banana and lemon juice; set mixture aside.
• 13 cream softened butter at medium speed of an electric mixer; add powdered sugar and milk and mix well.
• 14 add banana mixture, beating until fluffy.
• 15 stir in toasted coconut and chopped pecans.
• 16 yield: 3 1/2 cups.