Banana Cake with Vanilla Bean Frosting

Did you know there were so many tasty things to make with bananas?  

Seriously!!  After searching on Pinterest, I had a hard time narrowing down what exactly to make. There are cookies, breads, cakes, cupcakes, bars, pie, trifles, puddings, and the list goes on.  I was in practically drooling on my keyboard looking at some of them.

After the Banana Reeses Cookies, I thought I would take a little different avenue and decided on this cake (don't worry Monday I will have another banana recipe for you).  The frosting is what really got me, it looked absolutely divine.  Nothing beats a whipped vanilla frosting!

Banana Cake with Vanilla Bean Frosting

(click here for printable version)


Cake:
2/3 cup sugar (vanilla sugar works great if you have it)
2 tbsp butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup mashed very ripe banana (about 2 bananas)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda

Vanilla Bean Frosting:
2 tbsp butter, softened to room temperature
1 1/4 cups confectioners sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 vanilla bean, seeded and scraped
pinch of salt

1.  Preheat oven to 375°F.  Spray a 9x9 pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Set aside.

2.  Cream together butter and sugar, until fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the sour cream and mix well. Add the mashed banana and vanilla, mix well again.

3.  Add the flour, salt, and baking soda. Stop mixing as soon as it is combined. Pour the batter into your 
prepared pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. The cake will be done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

4.  Let the cake cool completely. To make the frosting, cream together the butter and confectioners sugar. Add the heavy cream slowly and beat until smooth and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the scraped vanilla bean and a pinch of salt.  Spread the frosting over the cooled cake, serve, and enjoy!

Source: Baked Bree