Upside Down Banana Layer Cake

Each year I love to make myself a birthday cake. I like to dream and plan and pull together something totally delicious. The two years we were in Korea, I wasn't able to make myself a cake and the bakery cakes were mediocre at best. I'm not saying that to brag, I just like to eat cake and have eaten my fair share over the years. Well, at least after I realized I didn't hate cake but I hated Walmart bakery style cakes with stiff sugary icing. Anyway, this year I decided to try something simple, so I made a banana upside down cake, which due to a series of unfortunate events turned into a peanut butter frosted banana upside down cake with dark chocolate ganache. If you make this cake, make it without the ganache. It is to heavy and rich for such a delightfully light cake. If you make it a layer cake, the peanut butter frosting is a light and fluffy complement. Otherwise, the cake is perfect on its own.

For the single upside down cake:

1. Grease your cake pan and preheat oven to 350F.
2. Mix together 3/4 cup brown sugar and 6 tablespoons melted butter. Spread evenly over the bottom of the pan.
3. Arrange banana slices (from one sliced banana) on top of sugar mixture.
4. In a separate bowl, mix together 2 1/4 cups flour, 1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder and 1 1/2 cups sugar.
5. Add 1 cup of mashed bananas, 3/4 cup buttermilk, 1/2 cup shortening, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat on low until combined .
6. Beat in two eggs until combined.
7. Pour over bananas and bake about 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
8. Cool cake in pan for 10 minutes before inverting onto a serving dish.

For the layer cake:

1. Bake two of the above cakes. Cool and stack with the "upside down" banana parts touching to form the filling layer.
2. Frost with peanut butter frosting ( Beat 1 stick softened butter and 1 cup peanut butter. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and two cups powdered sugar. Beat until smooth, adding up to 3 tablespoons of milk to smooth the frosting out.)
3. Optional: Top with milk chocolate chips and peanut butter chips.

A Dessert I Don't Have To Feel Bad About

Craving something sweet?

Want something a little more balanced than a candy bar or half gallon of moose tracks doused in chocolate fudge and topped with homemade whipped cream?

Have you ever had Yoplaits whipped yogurt?

Okay, now stick one in the freezer until its the consistency of ice cream. I love the strawberry and chocolate with this.

Melt 1-2 Tbsp of peanut butter.

Chisel frozen yogurt of the cup and dump into a bowl. Top with a sliced banana, half of a crumbled granola bar (nature valley crunchy are best for this) and the melted peanut butter. You could also sub actual granola for the bar but thats all I had on hand.

You have a crunchy, sweet and salty dessert that is packe with fruit, dairy and protein.

Yeah I know, its still got a good bit of sugar  (from the flavored yogurt, pb and granola bar) but this is a DESSERT. Dessert without sugar is just dert. And you know thats what it tastes like too- DIRT.

Enjoy!

My First Ever Peanut Butter Pie!

Mike's family is coming over for lunch today and knowing that Mike's dad loves PB pie, I decided to look up a recipe and make one.

Here is what happened:

I made a graham cracker crust with crushed graham crackers and melted butter.

Then I whipped up the good stuff.

Ingredients:

8 oz softened cream chz
1/2 c creamy pb
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
8 oz whipped cream
pb cups

Mix the cream chz, confectioners sugar and pb until smooth. Fold in whipped topping.  Spoon over crust and let chill overnight. Decorate with pb cups.

(If my phone would let me upload pics I would have a pretty picture to share.)