Banana Coconut Cake

Birthday cakes are fun to make. That's because you know that you're going to make someone smile, and it just brings a special warmth especially if it's homemade. You know someone had actually put some thought into it and made it with love.

I've made quite a few birthday cakes for friends and relatives and I've always stuck with 'safe' choices like chocolate cake and what not. So this time, when Cass asked me to bake one for the January babies of Amplify, I went for a more tropical feel.

I baked a banana coconut cake. I was very sceptical and worried that it might not turn out good. Haha, that's mostly because I actually used a muffin recipe and simply poured the batter into an 8 inch square pan. Yep. Oh , and I used buttercream icing to make it look snow white, as you can see. I decorated the outside with some dessicated coconut and some colourful sprinkles.

You know what? It didn't taste too bad, though I made the mistake of putting it in the fridge for too long. So it was kinda hard. But other than that, I think it made a pretty interesting cake, for once, although it wasn't as light as I would have liked it to be. Would I make this again? maybe, but as muffins, like they're meant to be :) Here's a slice for you curious readers:




Banana Coconut Cake

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 very ripe bananas, mashed (3/4 cup)
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut

preheat oven to 375°F.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Whisk together bananas, butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, and 1/2 cup coconut in a large bowl until combined well, then fold in flour mixture until flour is just moistened.

Pour into cake pan and bake until golden or cooked, about half an hour or so.

To get muffins: simple pour the batter into a muffin tin with 8 (1/2-cup) muffin cups and line the cups with liners. Divide batter among lined muffin cups and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup coconut. Bake until muffins are puffed and golden, about 25 minutes. Transfer muffins to a rack and cool slightly. Makes 8.

GourmetMay 2004
Epicurious.com © CondéNet, Inc. All rights reserved.

Buttercream Icing

1 lb. powdered sugar, sifted
1/4 lb. (1/2 c.) softened butter
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla or lemon flavoring
3 to 4 tbsp. milk, half & half, or whipping cream

Cream 1/3 of sugar with butter and salt in large bowl. Blend extract, 2 tablespoons of liquid, and remaining sugar into mixture. Gradually stir remaining liquid into icing until desired consistency is reached.

Yield: Enough for 2 (9 inch) or 3 (8 inch) round layers of 1 (13 x 9 x 2 inch) pan.