I Cook: Gone Bananas

Looking for a yummy summertime treat? Well, look no further. Ok no really, that was semi-cheesy but I'm serious. For some reason I've been going through a banana phase, not just eating plain 'ol bananas, but satisfying my summertime sads with some yummy treats.

First off, frozen bananas from Trader Joes. Covered in chocloately goodness. They are delious :)

Something else I tried recently: banana "ice cream" that has no other ingredient than bananas. All you do is throw some bananas in the freezer & when they are frozen, remove and let sit for about 5-10 minutes (so you can remove the peel). Remove the peel, then whip the frozen bananas with a hand mixer or blender. It's possible they may be too soft, so I threw my whipped bananas back in the freezer for a bit. The end product was awesome, cool and healthy :)

And now, a yummy recipe!

Blueberry Banana Cake w/Cream Cheese Icing

Adapted from The Kitchn

Cake Ingredients:

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons rum (the recipe said optional, I say NOT)
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 3 bananas)
3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 lemon, juiced and zested
1 1/2 cups milk
2 cups blueberries, washed and picked over

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and lightly grease a 13"x9" pan. Cream the butter and sugars in a large bowl.

Blend in the eggs one at a time, and whip until creamy.

Add the vanilla, bananas and rum. Mix until creamy.

Add the flour, baking soda and salt. Stir the mixture roughly, but do not combine completely.

In a large measuring cup, mix the lemon juice with the milk. (Reserve the lemon zest for the icing.)

Pour the lemon/milk mixture into the bowl with the rest of the ingredients. Mix until smooth. Fold in the blueberries. Spread the batter in the prepared pan.

Bake the cake for 75 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. (Start checking after 60 minutes.) When the cake is firm and a tester comes out clean, remove the cake from the oven.

While the cake is baking/cooling, make the frosting :)

Icing Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter, softened
1 (8 ounce) package light cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon rum (again, not optional -lol)
3 cups confectioners' sugar
Pinch salt

In a large bowl, whip the butter and cream cheese together until very smooth, with no lumps remaining. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 tablespoon rum, if using. Add the confectioners sugar, reserved lemon zest, and salt and beat on low speed until combined, then on high until frosting is smooth.

(huh, I only took one picture..must have been the rum, sorry!)

After your cake is all baked and cooled, spread the icing all over it! Top with some blueberries!!! YUM! *The original recipe also garnished with some almonds, which I clearly forgot but didn't miss!

I'm really sad this cake is now gone, I want more after seeing the pictures!! Enjoy!