Creme de la creme.
Don’t ask me why but the other night I said that and started singing the TI song. You know, this one. While that’s pretty embarrassing, you can just listen to like the first 5 seconds and then close the tab.
I finally got The Vanilla Bean Baking Book in the mail and have spent a lot of time just paging through the book and scrolling through Sarah’s blog. There’s something about it that forces you to admire the craftsmanship that goes into a baked good. I’m not talking quick bread or like.. a cookie here. I’m talking about pastry baking. I mean – I can’t even get my pie crust to look nice (which is why I’m #teamcake) so I’m amazed at some of the “simple” things that she makes so beautiful. While I was scrolling through her blog, I came across this banana layer cake and was inspired to whip something similar up last weekend. By “inspired” I really mean that we have like 10 frozen bananas in our freezer and I have to stop hoarding them.
I altered the recipe by adding yogurt and non dairy milk as a substitute for buttercream as well as using aquafaba as an egg replacer. I knocked down the sugar a bit as well based off personal preference and I got a perfect banana bread-y layer cake. De-lish.
We had some friends over for dinner and fed them curry and this cake. I’m not sure they went together all that well but they were certainly both delicious. I used a simple vanilla buttercream with a bit of bourbon whisked in. It’s amazing how a tablespoon or two of whiskey can make you look fancy. Aquafaba also made an appearance in this post. You can read about my first experience with it here.
This weekend was a busy one. My bike team sponsored the MN State Cyclocross Championship so I spent the majority of the weekend watching racers pass by on bikes caked with about 10 lbs of mud patting myself on the back for digging my winter boots out of the basement on Friday night. We got our first snow of the season on Friday so that was a friendly reminder that global warming is a thing because it’s the week of Thanksgiving..
Anyways, I’m off to try and beat the snow as I drive to Green Bay for the holidays. Enjoy this cake with those you love the most and celebrate all that you’re thankful for.
bourbon banana layer cake with buttercream frosting
Author: Dana Zychowski, adapted from Vanilla Bean Blog
Active Time: Total Time:
1 hour 3 hours
Servings: 2 – 8″ diameter cakes
Recipe Type: Dessert, Cake
- 1/2 cup vegan butter, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 6 TBSP aquafaba
- 2 ripe bananas, mashed
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup dairy free yogurt, plain or vanilla
- 1/4 cup dairy free milk
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 TBSP corn starch
- 1 2/3 cup all purpose flour
- 2 TBSP bulleit bourbon, optional
- 1/4 cup vegan butter
- 1/4 cup vegan shortening
- 2 – 2 1/2 cups organic powdered sugar
- 1 TBSP bulleit bourbon, optional
- For the cake preheat oven to 350 deg F. Use vegan butter or shortening to grease the inside of two 8″ diameter cake pans. Flour the insides and adjust oven rack to the middle position. Whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
- In a medium bowl with a hand or stand mixer, beat the butter on low to medium speed until creamy. Scrap the sides of the bowl if needed and mix to combine. Add the sugar, mixing on medium to high speed for an additional 2-3 minutes. Add aquafaba and mix for another few minutes. Next, add banana, yogurt, vanilla, milk, and rum and mix on medium speed until thoroughly combined.
- Add flour mixture to batter in 1/4 – 1/3 cup increments on low, or simply stirring manually to combine. Be very careful not to over mix. Dive batter evenly between pans and bake for 27-32 minutes until tooth pick inserted comes out clean. My cakes baked perfectly at 31 minutes, but all ovens are different. Remove cakes from oven and let cool on wire rack. Allow cakes to cool completely before frosting.
- For the frosting beat butter and shortening in a stand up mixer on medium speed until creamy, about 2-3 minutes. Add powdered sugar and whiskey, mixing on high for an additional 3-5 minutes until fluffy. If frosting is too thick, add 1/2 TBSP of dairy free milk until you’ve reached desired consistency. If frosting is too runny, add 1/4 cup of powdered sugar and mix until desired consistency is reached.
- To assemble, place bottom layer on an even surface and apply layer of frosting. Place second layer on top and apply a second layer of frosting. I wanted a “naked” look so I applied a minimal amount of frosting to the outside, just enough to fill between the two layers and coat the sides of the cake. If you would like a thicker layer on the outside, use about 1/3 of the frosting for each layer. If you are going for a look similar to the one shown in this post, opt to use a little more in between layers as the recipe allows. Store in plastic wrap on the counter for up to two days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Side Notes:
*Bourbon is optional, but recommended.
**The original recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of sugar. I like to decrease based on personal preference and the result was more banana bread like but still delicious. The frosting is also pretty sweet so I thought the lighter cake balanced it out.
***You should go buy The Vanilla Bean Baking Book. Like right now. Seriously.
Hi, I'm Dana! I work as a full time engineer and part time foodie in Minneapolis, MN. Outside of food blogging, I love riding my bike, traveling, and anything outdoors.
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