Banana Caramel Cream Pecan Cake

This is NOT the cake that will be served at Prince George’s Christening tomorrow….but it could be!Every celebration deserves a great cake or dessert wouldn’t you agree?  This just happens to be the cake that Bon Appetit dubbed as the Best Cake of the Year in 2006.

I tore the recipe out of the magazine 7 years ago and stuck it in a file intending to make it for some celebration that came up.  But I never did.  Somehow given the choice, my family always seemed to opt for The Perfect Chocolate Cake or Hummingbird Cake or Bavarian Cream Cake.  So I just let it sit there in the recipe file for years….until about a week ago when we celebrated the birthday of a Mississippi chum.  This one will now be added to the list of favorites.

Try it.  It just might make your favorite list too 🙂

Banana Caramel Cream Pecan Cake

Cake
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup butter at room temperature
2 1/2 cups sugar, divided
6 eggs
1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons buttermilk
2 ripe bananas, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch chunks

4 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
4 1/2 teaspoons rum

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 9 inch cake pans.  Sift together flour baking powder and salt.  Beat butter and 1 cup sugar until well blended.  Add 2 eggs and beat until blended.  Add dry ingredients to butter alternately with buttermilk, starting and ending with flour mixture.

In another bowl beat remaining 4 eggs and 1 1/2 cups sugar until the mixture is thick and pale in color. Fold this egg mixture into batter.  Fold in bananas.  Divide in two cake pans.  Bake about 35 minutes until cake tester comes out clean in the center of cake.  Cool 15 minutes then remove from pans and cool completely.

When cakes are completely cooled, slice in half horizontally forming 4 layers of cake.  Place first layer on cake plate and drizzle with 3 teaspoons of combined rum and lime juice.  Spread with 1/4 of the caramel cream filling.  Top with second layer and repeat process.  Continue with next two layers.  Spread top layer with remaining caramel cream and sprinkle with toasted pecans. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Caramel Cream
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
1 ripe banana cut into 1 inch pieces
3 Tablespoons butter, room temperature
3 3/4 heavy whipping cream, divided

Combine brown sugar, banana, and 3 tablespoons of butter in a food processor.  Blend until smooth.  Add 1 1/2 cups whipping cream, blend.  Transfer mixture to a heavy bottomed saucepan and whisk over medium heat until sugar dissolves and mixture boils. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.  Pour into a bowl and cool to room temperature, whisking occasionally.

Beat remaining 2 1/4 cups of cream until stiff peaks form.  Gradually fold in cooled caramel mixture.  Chill until cream is firm enough to spread, about 3 hours.

Sea Salt Roasted Pecans

2 cups pecan halves
3 Tablespoons butter
1 heaping teaspoon fine sea salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Toss pecans with butter to coat.  Add sea salt and toss again.  Spread pecans on baking sheet in a single layer.  Bake until fragrant and darkened in color about 15 minutes.  Cool pecans on baking sheet.