Banana Cake with Vanilla Bean Frosting

Why did the banana go to the doctor? Because he wasn't peeling well.

Why are bananas never lonely? Because they hang around in bunches. 

And my personal favorite....

Why did the banana go out with the prune? Because he couldn't find a date.

Thanks, folks! I'll be here all night! Don't forget to tip your wait staff.

Now that the funny is out of the way, let's get down to business. The business of banana cake with vanilla bean icing. It's wonderful business. The kind of business I want to conduct as much as possible.

Don't let the "vanilla bean" part of this recipe scare you. I just wanted to break in the ones I just purchased. You can just as easily use vanilla extract for this icing.  The banana cake is what packs the punch of flavor here. The icing, whether vanilla bean or extract is involved, accents it perfectly.

Banana Cake with Vanilla Frosting (Recipe credit: Baked Bree)

2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons room temperature butter
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 bananas)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Vanilla Bean Frosting:*

2 tablespoons room temperature butter
1 & 1/4 cups confectioners sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream, or milk
1/2 vanilla bean, seeded and scraped OR 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
pinch of salt 

Directions:

~Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
~Cream together butter and sugar. mix in sour cream.
~Add the bananas and vanilla.
~Add the flour, salt and baking soda. Stop mixing as soon as it is all combined. 
~Pour the batter into a 9 x 9 sprayed pan.
~Bake for 20-25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. 
~For the frosting, cream the butter and and slowly add the confectioners sugar. 
~Add the cream or milk and beat until fluffy. (If icing is too thin, add more confectioners sugar.)
~Add the vanilla and pinch of salt.
~Spread frosting over the cake once it has completely cooled. 

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*I doubled the cake recipe and used a 9 x 13 pan. I also doubled the icing recipe but it didn't make enough icing for my tastes and was also a bit thin. I like a thicker icing. I played around and added a bit more butter, then added confectioners sugar and milk until I got them amount and consistency I wanted. The good thing about icing is that if it's too thin, you add more sugar. If it's too thick, you add more milk. Just taste it as you go along and you'll be fine.