Banana Cake with Vanilla Bean Frosting

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Oh yeah, this banana cake is pretty divine. I found it on Pinterest. Where I seem to get all of my great ideas these days. This cake is simple and delicious, with everything that you want in a recipe.

I know that it is the first of the year, and I am supposed to be posting a healthy recipe or a recap of 2011, but I am not really in the mood to do that. I am going to go in a different direction. I love the idea of a new year. The idea of a fresh start has always appealed to me. I believe that a new year means a chance to put the past behind us and start clean. In that regard, I understand why people jump on the diet bandwagon and purge their homes. The part that I don’t buy, is that you need to do it on January 1st. You can make changes on any of the 365 (this year we even get an extra day to make a change) days of the year. That is the beauty of being human, we get to make changes in our lives every single day. In May you can decide to eat better, or in February you can quit smoking.

A few years ago, I was a gym rat (notice how I use past tense). I went every day and the same people were there. On the 1st of the year, the gym is packed. For 2 weeks. The resolution makers would come, take up all of the treadmills, and then disappear come the 15th. It made me realize that resolutions need intention. You can say that you want to start a healthy lifestyle, but if you want to make it stick, you have to do the work. I like the idea of setting goals instead of making resolutions for this reason. I don’t feel bad about myself when I reach a goal or cross a task off of my list of things for the year, but I do feel bad about myself when I break a resolution. I can honestly say that every goal I set for myself in 2011, I met. I cannot even tell you what a powerful feeling it is to start a new year with such positivity. I look forward to what 2012 has to offer, and I hope that it brings you everything that dreams of.

Oh yeah, this banana cake is pretty divine. I found it on Pinterest. Where I seem to get all of my great ideas these days. This cake is simple and delicious, with everything that you want in a recipe. I love this cake because I can decide at 5 o’clock to make it, and it is finished before dinner is done being cleared. My children love this simple cake. Do you remember those little cakes that you could get in convenience stores wrapped in plastic wrap? I think that they were called Mentos? I loved them when I was a kid, and the banana was my favorite. This cake is so much better than that one. I love when something is even better than you remember it to be.

Banana Cake with Vanilla Bean Frosting Ingredients //

• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 Tablespoons room temperature butter
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup mashed very ripe banana (about 2 bananas)
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Vanilla Bean Frosting:

• 2 Tablespoons room temperature butter
• 1 1/4 cups confectioners sugar
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 vanilla bean, seeded and scraped
• pinch of salt

How to Make // The Steps

Step 1: Cream together butter and sugar. Add the sour cream.

Step 2: Add the mashed banana, egg, and vanilla.

Step 3: Add the flour, salt, and baking soda. Stop mixing as soon as it is combined.

Step 4: Pour the batter into a 9×9 pan that has been coated with cooking spray.

Step 5: Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes. The cake will be done when a tester comes out clean.

Step 6: Let the cake cool completely. Start on the frosting by creaming together the butter and confectioners’ sugar. Add the heavy cream slowly and beat until smooth and fluffy. Add the scraped vanilla bean and a pinch of salt.

Step 7: Spread the vanilla bean frosting over the cooled cake.