Banana Walnut Muffins
These tender muffins get plenty of sweetness and moistness from mashed bananas...and the sprinkling of sugar and coarse salt make a delicious and unusual topping.
Looking for a job? Hint: Bring cake.
Life is good when you (finally) hire a publishing assistant and to thank you she walks in with peach brown sugar bundtlettes with salted caramel sauce. Then the following week, she asks you to stop by and taste the butter pecan banana cake she was testing. Having an assistant who can help keep my frenetic brain a bit organized is a luxury, yet a necessity, and one I should have done much sooner.
But having a staffer whose soul is baking is a luxury I never thought I would see. This cake hits all the right chords for me - icing of lightly sweetened whipped cream instead of a sticky sweet frosting, banana flavor, and toasted pecans for a rich hint of all things fall and cozy. An update on the refrigerator cake of the fifties, this banana cake is split in half then filled and topped with whipped cream and sprinkled with candied pecans. Keep in the fridge for a creamy, cool delight that tastes of fall.
Bailey insisted I take the cake home where there are lots of folks to eat it. However, I ate the rest myself. Enjoy.
Ingredients
SERVINGS: 12 Person(s)
Banana Cake
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/4 cups white sugar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 3 bananas, mashed
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
Butter Pecans
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 cup pecan halves
- pinch sea salt or flake salt
Whipped Cream
- 1 pint heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Preparation
1. To prepare cake, preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan generously with butter and set aside.
2. In medium mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. In large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add honey, eggs, banana, and vanilla. Beat well.
4. Add 1/3 of flour mixture and 1/3 of buttermilk alternately and mix until just combined. Repeat until all is mixed together.
5. Pour batter into greased baking pan. Bake 30-35 minutes, or until top is golden and toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan 20 minutes.
6. To prepare butter pecans, melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add brown sugar and stir well. Cook 1 minute and add pecans. Stir continuously to evenly coat pecans in sugar mixture. Cook until sugar is melted and pecans are coated, about 4 minutes. Immediately pour mixture onto wax paper. Sprinkle pecans with salt. Cool. Chop coarsely, reserving ¼ cup for garnish.
7. To prepare whipped cream, add all ingredients to a mixing bowl and whip until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in pecan pieces, being careful not to over stir. Chill.
8. To assemble, turn cooled cake out of pan onto work surface. Using a serrated knife, work gently to cut cake in half lengthwise. (Tip: once cut in half, it is helpful to use a sheet of wax paper to separate and move the top cake layer. Holding a sheet of wax paper longer than the length of the cake, use gentle sawing motions to move the wax paper under the top layer of cake so that the layer is laying upon the wax paper and can be lifted off and set aside.)
9. Move bottom layer of cake onto desired serving platter or back into 9x13-inch dish. Top with half of whipped cream mixture. Slide top half of cake off wax paper and on top of the whipped cream layer. Top with remaining whipped cream.
10. Place cake in refrigerator and allow to sit 6-8 hours or overnight. Before serving, garnish with reserved pecans. Cut into squares and serve chilled.
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