Moist Layered Banana Cake with Raspberries and Lemon Frosting

Here are the ingredients you’ll need for the cake, surprise raspberry filling, and frosting. Chances are you have most, if not all, of these items in your refrigerator and pantry (except maybe the buttermilk):

Banana Raspberry Cake

• Sugar
• Butter
• Large eggs
• All-purpose flour
• Baking powder
• Table salt
• Buttermilk – see substitution below
• Banana
• Vanilla extract

Lemon Frosting

• Cream cheese
• Butter
• Lemons
• Vanilla extract
• Dash salt
• Powdered (confectioners) sugar
• Fresh raspberries

This recipe is so moist and delicious, I don’t recommend deviating too much from the original. Here are a few substitutions for ingredients that you may not have on hand or that aren’t in season:

1. Buttermilk. I’m a big fan of powdered buttermilk. It’s available at most grocery stores (usually in the baking aisle) and lasts for months in your refrigerator. For this recipe, add 1/4 cup powdered buttermilk to the dry ingredients, and add 1 cup milk or water when the recipe calls for adding the 1 cup buttermilk.
2. Fresh raspberries. If you can’t find good quality fresh raspberries, then substitute the same amount of blackberries or blueberries.

This cake does take a bit of time to make, but trust me – it’s worth it! Here are the steps:

Banana Raspberry Cake

1. Prep oven and cake pans.
   Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 2 (8-inch) round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray. Line bottoms with parchment or wax paper. Spray paper with cooking spray and dust each pan with flour.
2. Beat sugar and butter; add eggs.
   In a mixing bowl of an electric mixer, beat the sugar and butter at medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, or until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
3. Combine dry ingredients.
   In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
4. Combine remaining wet ingredients.
   In a small mixing bowl, stir together the buttermilk, banana and vanilla.
5. Add remaining wet and dry ingredients to butter mixture.
   With mixer running, add the flour mixture and banana mixture alternately with the sugar mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat just until combined (do not overmix).
6. Fill cake pans; bake.
   Divide batter equally between the prepared pans and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
7. Remove from oven and cool.
   Cool in pans placed on a wire rack for 12 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the cakes. Gently turn pans over onto a wire rack, remove pans, leaving cakes on rack. Peel paper off of cakes, and cool completely.

Lemon Frosting

1. Combine cheese, butter, lemon, vanilla, and salt.
   In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, butter, lemon zest, vanilla and salt at high speed until light and smooth.
2. Add powdered sugar.
   With mixer on low speed, gradually add the powdered sugar, beating until well blended.

Cake assembly

1. Place one cake layer on a serving plate and spread 1/3 cup frosting over the top.
2. Arrange 1 1/4 cups of the raspberries in a single layer over the frosting, placing the raspberries on their side.
3. Place the second cake layer on top of the raspberries. Spread remaining frosting on the top and sides of the cake.
4. Decorate the top with remaining raspberries. I like to put a single row of raspberries along the outside edge, tips up.
5. Store in the refrigerator until around 15 minutes before serving.