Go Bananas Ice Cream Cake
We’ve all had bananas sit on our counter too long and get a bit too ripe. If you’re tired of the usual solution of baking up a pan of banana bread, you may give this tasty recipe a try. It is a moist, tender crumbed cake. Layer it with your favorite vanilla ice cream and garnish it with your favorite sundae toppings. It’s an absolutely wonderful summertime treat or a satisfying anytime dessert.
This cake has been known to disappear quite easily with just a dusting of powder sugar. Leave it on your counter with a serving knife, some small plates and dessert forks…it’s too inviting to walk past and not slice a taste.
If you want to dress it up just a bit, for a special occassion, frost it with some Vanilla Buttercream, or serve freshly sliced strawberries and some fresh whipped cream. So easy, so delicious!
INGREDIENTS
2 large eggs
3 ripe bananas
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
6 ounces strong coffee
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup dutch process cocoa, sifted
2-1/2 cups flour, sifted
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two 8” round cake pans with non-stick spray on the bottoms and sides, and line them with parchment paper. Spray the parchment paper too. Set aside.
In a standup mixer, beat the eggs, bananas and sugar until smooth. Mix in the cooled coffee, buttermilk and vanilla extract until combined.
In a separate bowl, sift the flour and cocoa. Stir in the salt, baking powder and soda until mixed well.
Add the dry mixture to the buttermilk mixture on low speed, mixing until just combined. Pour batter into the prepared pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until the tops of the cakes spring back lightly when pressed with your fingertips. Remove from oven, and cool in pans on a wire rack. Once completely cooled, remove from pans. Wrap in plastic wrap until ready to use. Layers may be sliced horizontally to give you 4 layers of cake.
Allow a quart of vanilla ice cream to sit at room temperature until softened, about 30-40 minutes. Use a 8” cake pan as a base to stack the ice cream and layers. Place finished cake in the freezer for at least 4 hours before serving. Remove cake from pan to a serving plate. I like to garnish each slide of cake individually, rather the entire cake. This way, if all the cake is not eaten, it can be easily returned to the freezer for enjoying later.
Note: If your cake is to remain in the freeze for longer than the initial 4 hours during preparation, it should be tightly wrapped in plastic wrap once frozen. Make sure no air can access the cake to prevent freezer burn. Cake will freeze well for about a month.