Old-fashioned Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Mission: Tiramisu. Craving dessert. A super yummy, decadent dessert. Tiramisu is the answer. Oh, yum. Sounds delish, right? I love Tiramisu. Bought all the ingredients, ran errands in the morning, went to my son's baseball game and at last, I was free to dedicate my uninterrupted time to making this beautiful dessert.

ARG! Why didn't I read the entire directions before embarking on Mission: Tiramisu? Why?! To my great disappointment, and my family's, the Tiramisu needed to set overnight in the fridge. Hence, Mission:Tiramisu was a fail.

But, maybe it was all supposed to happen this way. Just maybe this is what the universe intended. Because, if Mission: Tiramisu never failed, then maybe I never would have fumbled upon this gem-of-a-recipe.

Since the family's sweet tooth was in full throttle from the promise of having Tiramisu for dessert, I needed to find a way to satisfy it. And I totally did. Old-fashioned Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. Oh, so good. I mean, anything with cream cheese frosting is divine in my book, but this cake was super moist and flavorful, and I didn't have to run out and purchase any last minute ingredients! (Plus, what else was I going to do with those overripe bananas on the counter??) Definite bonus.

Until, next time Tiramisu...

Old-fashioned Banana Cake

Barefoot Contessa How easy is that?

serves 8

3 very ripe bananas, mashed
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
½ cup vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
½ cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Grated zest of 1 orange
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts
Cream cheese frosting (recipe follows)
Walnut halves, for decorating

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 x 2-inch round cake pan.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the bananas, granulated sugar and brown sugar on low speed until combined. With the mixer still on low, add the oil, eggs, sour cream, vanilla and orange zest. Mix until smooth.

In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Stir in the chopped walnuts. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 15 minutes, turn out onto cooling rack and cool completely.

Spread the frosting thickly on top of cake and decorate with walnut halves. Slice and serve.

Cream Cheese Frosting

6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar (1/2 pound)

Mix cream cheese, butter and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment on low speed until just combined. Don’t whip. Add sugar and mix until smooth.