So, where did the idea of celebrating birthdays with cakes come from?
It was the Greeks!!!, as my Greek friend Michelle would be quick to say. (Michelle proudly maintains that most good things originated with the Greeks. )
Michelle may have a point. According to historians, the Greeks celebrated the birthdays of their deities with a cake. The goddess Artemis, for example, was celebrated by her followers with a honey and flour cake on the sixth day of each month. Interestingly, her tribute cakes were topped with candles signifying the moonlight. Love that touch. I think I will try to think of candles as moonlight from now on.
In that spirit of celebration, here is a great Banana Birthday Cake With Buttercream Vanilla Frosting. In this case, it was to celebrate an important birthday this week for my neighbor and friend, Sarah. (Happy Birthday, Sarah!)
This recipe is adapted from one that appears on the King Arthur Baking site. You can find the original recipe for Rich and Tender Banana Cake here.
I particularly enjoyed this cake because it combines a delicate texture with a delightful banana fragrance.
The original King Arthur Baking cake called for a sour cream glaze but this is a birthday cake and we needed a decadent buttercream. I used the buttercream recipe posted here recently for a Tahini Cake, modifying it to omit the tahini and increasing the powdered sugar. You will find that recipe here.
Here is the recipe as I prepared it in my kitchen.
Banana Birthday Cake
Ingredients
- 6 T. unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 1 C. white sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 t. vanilla extract
- 3/4 C. mashed bananas
- 1 1/2 C. cake flour
- 1/2 t. baking powder
- 1/2 t. salt
- 1/4 t. baking soda
- 1/4 C. Greek yogurt (or sour cream)
- 1 recipe of vanilla frosting
- Pecans (for garnish)
- Cake sprinkles (for garnish)
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch cake pan. (I greased my pan and used a Silpat round on the bottom of my cake pan.)
- Step 2 Using your stand mixer, cream butter and sugar together. You want it to be light yellow and fluffy.
- Step 3 Add egg and vanilla to the butter mixture and mix until combines. Add mashed bananas. Mix. Scrape the sides of the mixing bowl. Note: Your mixture will probably curdle a bit when the bananas are mixed in. That’s OK.
- Step 4 In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda together. Add about half of this mixture to the butter mixture. Add Greek yogurt to the batter and mix to combine. Mix in the remaining flour mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to be sure all ingredients are mixed into your batter. Spoon the batter into your prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula.
- Step 5 Bake cake for 35 minutes or until the cake is firm when pressed with your fingers and a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the baked cake.
- Step 6 While the cake cools, prepare frosting. You can find the frosting recipe here. Frost and decorate the cake.
