Hello and welcome to Dash of Grace!

I am so happy you’re here!

So glad in fact, I’m presenting you with cake! Well, more or less. In a perfect world I would be able to teleport you a slice; but for now, sharing the recipe will have to suffice.

When I went about preparing my first recipe post I had no reservations about what I needed to share.

Cake, always cake.

After all, this is a celebration! Yes, yes launching the blog is exciting. But, what I’m really excited about is being able to connect with each and every one of you!

After deciding on the whole cake thing (again it was a no brainer) it was time to choose a flavor. I went with banana, as it is a cake I have poured a lot of time and energy into perfecting and here’s why…

When my husband and I were in the early stages of dating I asked him what his favorite baked good was. Thinking I would be all sweet and surprise him with it the following week.

He proceeded to tell me it was banana bread. He loves banana bread.

So much so, that in high school girls would flock to him with loaves of banana bread as some sort of dowry for dating. They would leave it by his locker, on his car hood, or shyly present him with it. He received these delicious packages almost weekly. Now that I think about it, it’s a wonder my husband didn’t weigh 500 pounds, or was poisoned by a girl after he didn’t go out with her (Weren’t we all a little crazy in high school?)

Anyways, as he is telling me about all this I immediately go into competitive mode. I wanted to oust all these girls and present him with the best-darn banana bread he had ever eaten.

Game on.

And I think I succeeded. After all he married me didn’t he?

As time went by, I grew tired of always making him banana bread. It was time to create something new, something with a little more pizzazz. Don’t get me wrong, I love banana bread as much as the next gal, but I can only create something so many times before my creative juices begin to explode.

Thus, this banana cake was born.

My husband has eaten a lot of banana bread, muffins, cake, you name it. I knew that he would simultaneously be the biggest fan and toughest critic of my creation. After a lot, and I mean A LOT of recipe testing, I came up with one of my most cherished recipes to date and my husband’s current dessert obsession.

This cake has all the classic, rich flavor of banana bread, but with the lovely texture of cake. Bananas make the cake perfectly dense and the addition of sour cream and buttermilk lends a slight tanginess that is to die for.

This tanginess is further complimented by the sour cream ganache frosting. What I love about the frosting is that the sour cream cuts the sweetness so that the cake, already sweetened by the bananas, does not become overwhelming.

Chocolate and banana pair seamlessly together creating the most addicting flavor. A flavor that could only be made more perfect by the addition of coffee. Thus I tossed in a dash of espresso powder in the ganache.

Voila! The most amazing banana cake was ripe for blogging! This cake truly is a product of countless hours of recipe testing and finding lots of chocolate in my hair.

Give this cake a try! I guarantee it will find its way into your recipe collection as it did mine. It is my go-to for bringing to events because most people have never had banana cake. They have never experienced the pure, amazingness that is banana cake. And if you yourself have never tried it, get out your apron and blender stat. You will go bananas over this cake.

Recipe

Rich, moist banana cake cloaked in a creamy, tangy sour cream ganache with a hint of espresso.

Banana Cake

*Yields: 2 9-inch round cakes

4 1/2 cups // 562.5 grams all-purpose flour, sifted
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 large bananas, mashed
1/4 cup sour cream, at room temperature
1 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons buttermilk
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups // 500 grams granulated sugar
4 eggs, at room temperature
3 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a blender, pulse the banana and sour cream until smooth. Add the buttermilk, shortening, butter, and sugar and blend until fully incorporated. Add the eggs and vanilla and process just briefly to combine.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

4. Pour banana mixture over dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated.

5. Pour the batter into prepared pans and smooth the surface with a spatula.

6. Bake for 35 for 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

7. Allow the cake to cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes before unmolding.

8. Cool completely before frosting.

Milk Chocolate Sour Cream Ganache

2 3/4 cups + 2 tablespoons // 500 grams good quality milk chocolate
2 cups // 500 grams sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3-4 cups // 375-500 grams powdered sugar, sifted (add until frosting reaches desired consistency)

1. In a double broiler, melt chocolate over medium-high heat until smooth.

2. Pour chocolate into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add in sour cream, vanilla, espresso powder, and salt. Mix until well combined.

3. Gradually add in powdered sugar, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary, until frosting reaches desired consistency. If need be, put the frosting in the fridge to firm up.