You’ll need to get a pantry staple from your mom’s day to make this cake: canned crushed pineapple in heavy syrup. That syrup will provide lots of flavor as well as much of the sugar for the batter. It’ll yield a surprisingly dense cake that freezes (unfrosted) beautifully. And about that frosting? Like others in this book, it’s actually a modified American buttercream with cream cheese in the mix for an added depth of flavor against the bananas. Make sure they’re quite ripe, with lots of brown (and maybe a few black) spots on their skins.
For the cake
12½ tablespoons (1 stick plus 4½ tablespoons) cool unsalted butter, cut into small chunks, plus additional for the sheet pan
4 cups cake flour, plus additional for the sheet pan
2½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
4 large eggs, separated, plus 1 large egg white, at room temperature
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons granulated white sugar
One 20-ounce can pineapple chunks in heavy syrup, drained with the syrup reserved
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons whole or 2% milk
1. Position the rack in the center of the oven. Heat the oven to 350°F. Generously butter and lightly flour the inside of a 13 × 18-inch lipped sheet pan.
2. Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl until uniform.
3. Using a handheld electric mixer or a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the five egg whites and salt in a large bowl at low speed until foamy. Then increase the speed to high and continue beating until you can make droopy peaks.
4. Using a handheld mixer with clean, dry beaters or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar in a second large bowl at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
5. Scrape down the inside of the bowl, then beat in the four egg yolks one at a time. Beat in the drained pineapple and vanilla until uniform.
6. Turn off the mixer; pour the flour mixture over the batter. Beating at medium speed, add the milk in a steady stream, then the reserved pineapple syrup. Continue beating just until there are no dry specks of flour in the batter. Scrape down and remove the beaters or paddle.
7. Using a silicone spatula, fold in half the beaten egg whites until uniform and smooth. Add the remaining egg whites and fold gently, smoothly, and slowly, just until mixed throughout but not deflated very much. There will be some white streaks visible. Use that spatula to pour and spread the batter into the prepared pan.
8. Bake until firm and set, and until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire rack to room temperature, about 1½ hours.
12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
4 ounces full-fat or low-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
2 very ripe medium bananas, peeled and cut into chunks
2 tablespoons banana liqueur, such as crème de banane
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 to 8 cups confectioners’ sugar
1. Using a handheld electric mixer with clean, dry beaters or the stand mixer with a clean, dry whisk attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese in a clean, dry large bowl until smooth and light, about 2 minutes. Beat in the banana chunks and liqueur until smooth.
2. Turn off the mixer, add 6 cups of the confectioners’ sugar, and beat at low speed until smooth. Continue beating at low speed, adding more confectioners’ sugar in ⅓-cup increments, until the batter will mound on the side of a spatula. Using an offset spatula, spread and smooth the frosting evenly over the cooled cake.
TESTER NOTES
Because the canned pineapple bits will fall through a standard colander, drain the canned pineapple bits in a fine-mesh sieve or in a standard colander lined with cheesecloth or even paper towels.
