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Historically Delicious Banana Cake Recipe

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Historically Delicious Banana Cake Recipe

Today, we will be doing something a little different and exciting. Come join us in the fun and get ready for one of the best Banana Cake recipes you’ve ever had! 

I’m so excited to introduce you to one of my blog tribe mate member, Sue – she runs a beautiful blog called Housekaboodle where she shares with her readers a treasure chest full of beautiful homes and invites you into some of the most stunning homes with her Happy Home Tours!

Today, she has something delicious to share with you too! This Banana Cake has been in her family for years and now we get to enjoy it too. Please continue reading for the story and the recipe and please don’t forget to check Sue’s blog out because I know you will spend hours there in awe of the many gorgeous homes shes share. 

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 Take it away, Sue! 

Banana Cake July 13, 1945, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina as suggested by Mrs. Marion Holt. That is what the recipe card says. When you get married, family recipes sometimes are part of the pact. In my case, I inherited a Banana Cake recipe. They don’t tell you these things as they watch you waltz down the aisle, oh the horror of secrets.

You might think…don’t be a baby Sue, it’s just banana cake, well someone left it out in the rain and I don’t think that I can bake it, cuz I’ll never find that recipe again.

Well, it’s a big deal to a young bride.

I am not kidding you. Try to recreate the perfect cake for your husband that his mother and sisters have made for years. Are your married? Then you know how the story goes.  My cake was the not good enough cake.

I even got to the point where I refused to make the Banana Cake during a certain point in time. Ridiculous to boycott a cake. I admit to being a Cake Nazi..No cake for you!

Why-don’t-you-like-some-other-kind-of-cake!… swirled in my head. This was my husband’s favorite cake that I needed to make for his very own Birthday!

Once a year.

Banana Cake made from scratch with instructions that say a hunk of butter and handful of sugar….damn you Mrs. Marion Holt of 1945…..Love is blind.

Banana Cake sift and sift againBanana Cake: Sift flour once, then measure and sift again with soda and baking powder. No problem. Today’s girl has pre-sifted flour and I can skip this step. I got this handled. Except….it just doesn’t turn out right if you don’t sift and sift again even if it’s Pre-sifted flour. 

Banana Layer Cake old recipe card

Banana Layer Cake I’ll explain those unpinworthy horrid photos later. Meantime, this is the recipe.  Note the bottom says A M E N.  I think that was a way of saying..this is a delicious recipe..Amen. For me it meant I needed to pray to be able to get this Banana Cake right. 

Cream butter, add sugar and cream together until fluffyCream butter, add sugar and cream together, until fluffy.  Except it doesn’t say butter on the ingredients for the cake.  It does say 3/4 cup shortening..that must be the butter.  See what I mean?  (I have done trials over the years using shortening too).

Add EggsAdd whole eggs, beating well after each. Got that. 

1-1/4 cup mashed bananas1-1/4 cup mashed bananas. Sour cream, vanilla and mashed bananas 

Mix well until blendedAdd sour cream and vanilla to bananas.  Add this alternately to the flour mixture…

Blended flour mixture with mashed banana mixtureuntil well blended.

The cake was never that hard. It is supposed to be a heavy cake, not light and airy. Bake at 350 degrees. How long? No clues provided. My banana cake has been convicted of being not heavy enough, too light!

I’ve been to Cake Jail.

Thick brown sugar frostingBrown Sugar Frosting Desired Consistency.

Banana Cake Brown Sugar Frosting:  The evil frosting!

HUNK OF BUTTER

HANDFUL OF BROWN SUGAR

LET MELT TOGETHER

ADD SWEET MILK AND POWDERED SUGAR UNTIL DESIRED QUANTITY IS MADE.

Hunk of butter. How much is a hunk of butter? They don’t sell butter in hunks. Is a hunk 4 sticks like in a box? 2 sticks? I got this recipe before the internet. I guessed, consulted friends, called my mother.

I was a corporate employee able to fly like a plane. Why was this hard? I had to call my mother-in-law and my sister-in-law and ask how much is a hunk of butter. I didn’t want to do it, but I had to! (I had to do this more than once or twice)

It was a long distance call, before cell phones, but not 1945.

I was in the middle of making a cake with hours to go before it needed to be ready. Desperation!

Ring-a-ling “How much is a hunk of butter?! How much is a handful of brown sugar?! Whose hand? A big handful or a regular handful?

“What is sweet milk? Is that something special? Is it carnation evaporated milk? Is it vitamin D milk? Will 2% work?”

Bake at 350 degrees. How long? No clue.

After I have worked and baked in the kitchen. After I’ve made long distance phone calls. Husband says- “Where are the walnuts? How come you didn’t put sliced bananas in-between?” High maintenance, like When Harry Met Sally.  He likes it just so. 

See what I mean? Cake strike!

1. I will never make this cake again.

2. You can pick a new favorite cake.

3. Consult in-law rules and regulations and go to inherited recipe court.

Nowhere on the recipe does it say to use crushed walnuts as a topping and nowhere does it say to put sliced bananas on top of the frosting in the layer. Upon inheritance ne’er a whisper was made about it either. Sabotage.

Sometimes, in the early years I would forget the sliced bananas or forget the crushed walnuts…it’s not on the card. I made this cake once a year. I would forget.

I’ve added walnuts in the layer and added walnuts to the entire outside of the cake and not just the top; both were too many walnuts. Banana slices as a topping is too much banana.

Peace and tranquility. The cake wars are over. I can make this cake as easy as running water out of a faucet now.

I inherited the old recipe card. I keep it as a tribute of achievement. I like it all messy filled with reminders of how things happened over the years. 

Handful of brown sugar2 cups brown sugar.

A hunk of butter for this banana cake is 1-1/2 sticks. A handful of brown sugar is 1/4 bag or 2 cups. The frosting should be thick. Don’t forget the frosting with sliced banana filling and walnut topping.

Banana Cake with brown sugar frosting and walnuts Amen!

Me? I never liked the cake in the beginning. Too sweet. Now, I kinda like it, a lot.

And as always, thanks so much for visiting my site and if you like this post – Historically Delicious Banana Cake Recipe – please subscribe via email below and never miss a post again! 

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4 Comments

  1. I’m reading this post with a pile of, nearly, overripe banana sitting on the counter. This recipe looks good, I’m with you on not liking too sweet foods and might skip the frosting.. Hmmm what to do, what to do.

  2. Hi BodynSoil, try the frosting and see how you like it! If not, I haven’t used any other frosting on the cake to advise you otherwise, but of course a banana frosting would be delish or a cool whip frosting is always great and not sweet.

  3. Why thank you very much and since you’re a food-a-holic I am happy you like the recipe.

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