BANANA CAKE WITH COCOA BUTTERCREAM

If you’re not a fan of banana bread, pass on this recipe. But if you like the stuff as much as we do, you’ll want to try this coffee cake–like sheet cake, a treat so long as the bananas are plenty ripe with brown (or even a few black) spots on their skins. The frosting is super thick, even a little sticky, the better to pair with that classic, chewy, banana-bread texture.

For the cake

¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon solid vegetable shortening, plus additional for the sheet pan

2⅔ cups cake flour, plus additional for the sheet pan

1½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

4 very ripe medium bananas (lots of dark spots), peeled and cut into chunks

1 cup packed light brown sugar

⅓ cup granulated white sugar

4 large eggs, at room temperature

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

⅔ cup whole or 2% milk

1. Position the rack in the center of the oven. Heat the oven to 350°F. Generously grease and lightly flour the inside of a 13 × 18-inch lipped sheet pan.

2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl until uniform.

3. Mash the bananas to a paste in a small bowl with a flatware fork or a potato masher.

4. Using a handheld electric mixer or a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the shortening, brown sugar, and white sugar at medium speed in a large bowl until creamy and light, about 4 minutes.

5. Scrape down the inside of the bowl, then beat in the eggs one a time. Add the mashed bananas and vanilla; beat at low speed until combined. The batter may look broken at this stage.

6. Turn off the mixer and pour the flour mixture evenly on top of the batter. Beat at low speed while slowly pouring in the milk; continue beating just until there are no bits of dry flour in the batter. Using an offset spatula, spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.

7. Bake until set to the touch and 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 2 hours.

For the buttercream

16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

8 ounces full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature

2 tablespoons dark corn syrup

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

¼ teaspoon salt

3 to 4 cups confectioners’ sugar

1. Using a handheld electric mixer or a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese in a large bowl at medium speed until smooth and luscious, about 2 minutes. Beat in the corn syrup, cream, and vanilla until smooth.

2. Turn off the mixer; add the cocoa powder and salt. Beat at low speed until uniform. Turn off the mixer again and add 2½ cups of the confectioners’ sugar. Beat at low speed until combined, then increase the speed a bit and beat, adding more confectioners’ sugar in ¼-cup increments, until the frosting is spreadable and can hold its shape on the side of a spatula. Using an offset spatula, spread and smooth the frosting evenly over the cooled cake.

TESTER NOTES

We used shortening in this cake, rather than butter, because the neutral flavor of the shortening lets the taste of the bananas come through unimpeded.