Banana Cake: Stephen's Favorite

There are very few cakes/cookies/desserts that Stephen will eat and actually enjoy. Banana cake is one of them. This recipe yields a moist, dense cake with some of the best chocolate frosting EVER. And don't go easy on the walnuts -- they're the best part! Oh, yeah. And it's vegan.

What you'll need . . .

• 1/2 cup vegan butter (I like Earth Balance), softened
• 1/2 cup raw sugar
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 medium bananas
• 1/3 cup applesauce
• 1 and 1/2 cup wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup instant oats
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• (soy milk, if batter is too dry)
  

Method . . .

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease an 8 inch square pan (I used a glass one).
2. Cream sugar and butter together until light and fluffy.
3. Add bananas, applesauce, and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined.
4. Add flour, oats, cornmeal, and baking powder. Mix. Add soy milk if batter is too dry.
5. Pour mixture into the pan . . . and then bake for 35 to 40 minutes (until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out dry).
6. Let cool completely before frosting (also, I cut mine in half to make a layer cake).
   

CHOCOLATE FROSTING

What you'll need . . .

• 6 tablespoons vegan butter (Earth Balance)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups vegan confectioners' sugar
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup soy milk (or your favorite non-dairy substitute -- I think it'd be interesting to try coconut milk)

Method . . .

1. Cream the butter and vanilla together with an electric mixer on low to medium speed.
2. In a separate (large) bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar and cocoa powder with a whisk.
3. Add dry ingredients to the wet until fully integrated. Slowly add the soy milk to the mix until you have reached the desired consistency. (I found that I thought I'd added too much milk . . . because the frosting was dense and heavy . . . but actually I needed to add a few more splashes, and it turned out fine. Just add the milk s-l-o-w-l-y.)
4. Spread onto cake -- and I added some walnuts to my middle layer.

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