Wedding Cake #3: Audrey & Mike

This is my third wedding cake...this time for a very sweet woman, friend and student of mine, Audrey.

It was an honor to be just a wee part of this special day.

Best part of this cake was the inside...Audrey had requested a banana cake and I played around with a recipe until it was a winner.  This recipe works well for a wedding cake, but is also great in smaller versions or even cupcake/muffins.  I added coconut to my cupcake/muffins and loved it!

Buttermilk Banana Cake

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 Tbsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp. fine sea salt

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, room temp.

2 1/2 cups sugar

6 large eggs

1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. buttermilk

4-5 small very ripe bananas (aobut 1 1/2 cups)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter & flour two 9" diameter pans with 1 1/2" sides.

Sift flour and baking powder into bowl.  Add salt and mix.

Beat butter, then slowly add sugar until light and fluffly.

Add one egg at a time, beating between each one.

Add dry ingredients to butter mixture in 4 additions alternately with buttermilk in 3 additions.  Do not over-mix.

Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, approx. 35 minutes.  Transfer to rack; cool 15 minutes.  Invert cakes onto racks; cool completely.  These freeze very well.  After completely cooled, wrap in plastic wrap very well.

Option:  I poked the cake all over with a toothpick and poured a butterscotch syrup over the cake.  This made for a very rich and moist cake.  If you do this step be sure to place a round of waxed paper or parchment paper over the top before you wrap with plastic wrap.

Butterscotch Syrup

1 ½ c. sugar
1 ½ cubes butter
2 Tbsp white corn syrup
¾ C. buttermilk
1 tsp. soda
2 tsp. vanilla

Combine all ingredients but vanilla in saucepan. Cook 7 minutes, stirring every so often, barely boiling. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Store in fridge. Reheat to serve.

White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

{this is deadly good}

6 oz. good-quality white chocolate, chopped.

12 oz. cream cheese, room temp.

1/2 cup butter, room temp.

1/4 cup powdered sugar

2 1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 1/2 tsp. coconut extract

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Melt white chocolate over double-boiler until melted.  Let cool to room temp, about 5 minutes, it will be slightly warm to the touch.

Beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl until light and fluffly.  gradually beat in the melted white chocolate.  If you put this in when it's too warm, then it will not be smooth, which happened to me on a test batch, but to be honest, it was still delicious, so DO NOT throw it away!  :)

Add the rest of the ingredients and beat until smooth and mixed in.  Will store in the fridge for a few weeks. 

Enjoy!