SUPER MOIST BANANA POPPY SEED CAKE

Hello! I have a couple of really special cake recipes that I love to make because they are moist, they are loved by all, and they perform well here at high altitude where I live.  When I want to make a knock-your-socks-off-cake for a special occasion I often turn to this recipe for Super Moist Banana Poppy Seed Cake.

I prepared this winning recipe to celebrate the birthdays of my friends Brenda & Mo.

And don’t tell anybody but I also made it to use up some bananas I had that were very ripe.  I always have bananas in the house for my son to snack on.  However, I often end up with bananas that are over ripe and then he won’t touch them with a ten-foot-pole.  So, to avoid throwing them away, I have an arsenal of great recipes I go to when my bananas begin to go.  In any case, this cake is a winner and I make it often.  It can be baked in two 9″ round pans or makes a terrific sheet cake too.

Here is what you need to assemble in order to make my Super Moist Banana Poppy Seed Cake.

To get started preheat your oven to 375º F.  Cut parchment paper to fit two- 9 inch round baking pans, or one – 10 x 13 inch baking pan.  I do this by tracing around the pan, then cutting out the paper, making a perfect fit.

Then I spray the pan with cooking spray……

and plop in the cut parchment paper.  This will insure that my cakes will come out of the pan after baking without sticking or breaking.

Now, beat two whole eggs in a standing mixer.  By the way, I just got a brand new Kitchenaid Mixer with a glass bowl, perfect for taking photos of my food prep. My husband gave it to me for Mother’s Day.  I can’t wait to show it to you!

Add 1 cup of sour cream to the beaten eggs.  Also BTW, I love sour cream in cakes.  Anytime sour cream is listed as a cake ingredient I know it is going to be moist and delicious.

Add 4 tablespoons of melted butter to the mixing bowl.

Gradually add 1-1/3 cups granulated sugar, all the while beating as the sugar is added.

Now add 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract.

Peel 3 very ripe bananas, place them in a low sided bowl and using a fork, mash them up.

Add the mashed bananas to the sugar & egg mixture and mix to combine.

Now it’s time to prepare the dry ingredients.  Anytime you are preparing a cake it is best to shift all of the dry ingredients together before adding them to the wet ingredients.  In this case add 2 cups of flour to your sifter.  I like to use White Whole Wheat Flour for this recipe, but white flour (as pictured in the ingredients photo above) is just fine too.  I think that the nutty whole grain goodness of white whole wheat is delicious and nutritious, and performs well in this recipe.

Next add 1/2 teaspoon salt……

and 1 teaspoon baking soda to the sifter of flour.

Sift it all together, then add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients in your standing mixer and beat to combine.  Do not over mix.

Finally, add 1 tablespoon of poppy seeds to the batter and give it one more mix to combine.

Pour the batter into your prepared pans.  Place in the preheated oven and bake for approximately 40 minutes until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Using a spatula or knife, loosen the sides of the cake from the pans and invert them them onto a cooling rack.  Carefully remove the parchment paper.

While the cakes cool make the frosting.  Cut 1 cube of softened butter into small pieces.

Place the cubed butter into a mixing bowl.  This recipe calls for 4-1/2 cups of powdered sugar which will be gradually added and simultaneously creamed into the butter.  Add the powdered sugar gradually, beating between each addition, so as not to have powdered sugar flying out of the bowl and all over your kitchen.

Once the butter and powdered sugar have been combined, gradually beat in 1/3 cup of heavy whipping cream.  Finally, add 2 teaspoons of almond extract and 1 tablespoon of poppy seeds to the frosting and give it one final mix to combine.

Returning to your completely cooled cakes, frost them as you please.  I opted to leave the sides of my cake unfrosted, but feel free to cover all sides of your cake with frosting.  I also added some white flowers from my garden to make my cake look more festive.

So there you have it:  Super Moist Banana Poppy Seed Cake

Serve to your happy guests and enjoy! Here’s the handy-dandy printable recipe.

 

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