Banana Layer Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

Mashed bananas adds more than just flavor to this cake--it also keeps the layers moist. I found this recipe on aol.com/food/ while I was surfing around. This looked very interesting and it turned out so beautifully. It tastes great too! It uses coconut which I don't like so I only ate a smidgin!

• Ready In: 55 mins
• Serves: 16
• Yields: 1 cake

Ingredients

• Cake

•  cooking spray
• 2  cups all-purpose flour
• 1  teaspoon baking powder
• 3⁄4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1⁄8 teaspoon salt
• 1 1⁄3 cups granulated sugar
• 1⁄3 cup  vegetable oil
• 1 1⁄4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2  large  egg whites
• 1  large egg
• 1  cup  mashed ripe banana
• 1⁄2 cup low-fat buttermilk

• Frosting

• 2⁄3 cup reduced-fat cream cheese
• 1  teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3  cups powdered sugar

• Garnishes

• 2  tablespoons  finely chopped pecans, toasted
• 2  tablespoons sweetened flaked coconut, toasted
• 2  tablespoons  dark chocolate curls

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Coat 2-(8 inch) round cake pans with cooking spray; line bottoms with wax paper.
3. Coat wax paper with cooking spray.
4. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife.
5. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small mixing bowl, stirring well with a whisk.
6. Place granulated sugar, oil, vanilla extract, egg whites, and egg in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended.
7. Add mashed banana; beat well.
8. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, begining and ending with flour mixture.
9. Pour batter into prepared pans.
10. Bake for 35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
11. Cool 10 minutes on wire racks; remove from pans.
12. Peel off wax paper; cool completely on wire racks.
13. To prepare frosting: place cream cheese and vanilla extract in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until fluffy.
14. Add powdered sugar; beat at low speed until smooth.
15. Place 1 cake layer on a plate; spread with 1/2 cup icing, and top with other cake layer.
16. Spread remaining icing over top and sides of cake.
17. Sprinkle pecans and coconut or/& chocolate curls over top of cake; all of these are optional.
18. Cake is lovely as is!
19. Store cake loosley covered in refrigerator.
20. Enjoy, you have earned it.