Banana Cake with Pale Ale and Cream Cheese Frosting

As usual, we didn't eat the bananas.  So there I was with 4 ripe bananas and my daughter and her husband coming to dinner.  I needed to make a dessert so of course I went online in search of the perfect Banana Cake recipe.  I ended up at Tasty Kitchen and found a great recipe!  What makes it so good is the ALE!  Yes, ale in the cake.  It makes it so rich and moist and you don't taste the ale...just the yum!

Of course I changed it just a bit but I have to give credit where credit is due - I didn't make this up!  And the good part is that it is the best banana cake ever! Try it next time you buy too many bananas and don't eat them! 

2 sticks of butter
1 cup Pale Ale
4-5 very ripe bananas
2 cups of sugar, divided
2 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 3/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt


1 stick butter, softened
1 8-oz block of cream cheese, softened
2-3 cups powdered sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla

 

Preheat your oven to 350.  In a saucepan combine the 2 sticks of butter and 1 cup of ale over low heat and bring to a simmer.  

In the meantime thoroughly mash, with a fork, bananas with 1/3 cup of sugar.  When the butter/ale mixture has simmered 1 minute, remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes.  Stir in banana mixture.  

In a bowl combine the remaining 1 2/3 cups of sugar with the two eggs and vanilla.  With the mixer on low slowly pour in the butter/ale/banana mixture to help temper everything together.  Continue mixing for another 2 minutes.

 

Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt; add to the wet ingredients and mix thoroughly.  Pour batter into a 9x13 inch pan and bake at 350 for 45 minutes (test with a toothpick for doneness).

For the frosting simply cream together the softened stick of butter and softened cream cheese, then add the vanilla.  Add in the powdered sugar one cup at a time until desired consistency is reached.  Spread on the cake and decorate with chopped walnuts if desired.

1