I have copies of recipes floating all over my apartment, some tucked into cookbooks, others stuffed into kitchen drawers. But I recently stumbled across a photocopy of a recipe my mom gave me for Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, and I knew I had to share it with you all as it is an unchallenged contestant for the moistest cake I have ever baked.

I’m unsure of where this recipe originated from, but I do know it’s been a crowd favorite at many gatherings with family and friends. I was doubtful about the technique of freezing a cake post-baking, but this recipe made a believer out of me. The blast of cold seals in the moisture and big banana flavor, while a slathering of cream cheese frosting is the perfect sweet and tangy complement to the fresh fruit taste.

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Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Yield: one 9"x13" cake

Prep Time: 90 min (includes cooling time)

Cook Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

For the cake:

1½ cups mashed ripe bananas
2 teaspoons lemon juice
3 cups flour
1½ teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup butter
2 cups plus 2 Tablespoons sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1½ cups buttermilk

For the frosting:

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese
½ cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
3½ cups powdered sugar
Chopped walnuts

Directions:

For the cake:

Preheat the oven to 275ºF.

In a small bowl, combine the mashed bananas with the lemon juice and set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Cream together the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy, then beat in the eggs one at a time.

Add the vanilla then beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk.

Fold in the mashed banana mixture and pour into a 9"x13" greased pan.

Bake the cake for one hour, or until a toothpick when inserted comes out clean.

Remove the cake from the oven when done cooking and immediately transfer to the freezer for 45 minutes to cool.

Remove the cake from the freezer, frost with cream cheese frosting (recipe below) and top with chopped walnuts.

For the cream cheese frosting:

Beat together the cream cheese and softened butter until well incorporated.

Beat in vanilla then slowly beat in the powdered sugar until the icing is smooth in texture.

Spread on prepared cake and serve.