Santa's Sleigh Lands On My Banana Cake & The Lemon Report!

We had dear friends over for dinner last night and I decided to make my second most requested recipe--Banana Cake!  This is an old fashioned buttermilk cake that is rich and moist.  The butter cream filling perfectly compliments the fresh sliced bananas hidden inside.  I thought the fluffy white whipped frosting would be excellent for a snowy Christmas theme, so here's what the cake looked like when I finished....


I baked the cake in a loaf pan, cooled completely and them cut it horizontally in two.  Next, I spread a layer of butter cream icing and added a layer of fresh sliced bananas on top.


Place the top of the cake back on.


Frost the entire cake. 


I use the whipped icing from the bakery supply.  It's HEAVEN!


Pipe decorated edges ( if you choose).

Add Santa's sleigh and his tiny reindeer.  Purchased at Fancy Flours for $2.50!  In order to give Santa and his reindeer a vintage glam, I dusted them with Wilton's edible white shimmer powder (made to decorate fondant).

Sprinkle the entire cake with Wilton's Edible glitter to look like sparkling snow. 

Watch your children's eyes become alight with wonder. 

 
I've had requests to see my lemon tree.  Well here she be as of December 5, 2010.  I think we are right on track for the lemons to be ripe for Christmas and looks like a bumper crop this year! 

The plan for today is to get our Christmas tree and then decorate the inside of the house.  We have the outdoor decorations up.  Check out these outdoor ornaments I bought at Costco!  I hung them from our front porch with fishing string.


Even the cupola with weather vein got a red bow this year.  Grin.


I hope everyone is enjoying this holiday season.  Look at this rose my husband photographed in our garden this morning... Swoon.  This sort of beauty makes me think that a white Christmas may be a wee overrated.

The Lemonista's Banana Cake

Cake
6 Tablespoons softened butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup mashed very ripe banana
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream butter and sugar.  Add banana, egg and vanilla.  Sift flour, soda and salt.  Add dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk.  Beat until combined.  Pour into a greased loaf pan that has had the bottom lined with parchment paper.  Bake 50-55 min at 350 degrees.

*Or Bake in a 7" X 11" cake pan at 350 degrees for 28mins.
*Or double this recipe and bake in a 9" X 13" cake pan at 350 degrees for 33-36min

• Cool cake completely. 
• Remove parchment paper.
• Cut cake in half horizontally for loaf pan. (If using larger cake pans, cake cake in half and stack)
• Spread bottom half of cake with butter cream (recipe follows). 
• Layer on fresh sliced banana.
• Place top half of cake over the filling/banana slices.
• Frost entire cake.
• Decorate. 

Filling
3 Tablespoon soften butter
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoon whole milk or cream
3/4 tsp. vanilla.
1 whole regular banana peeled and sliced.
Blend together butter and sugar, add cream and vanilla. Whip until fluffy. You will have some extra filling.  Feel free to eat with a spoon. 

Enjoy,

The Lemonista