Michael's Favorite Banana Nut Cake

This recipe is from Paula Deen and her husband's favorite cake. Preparation and cooking time includes 1 hour for cake to cool.

• Ready In: 2 hrs 35 mins
• Serves: 16

Ingredients

• 3  cups all-purpose flour
• 2  cups granulated sugar
• 1  teaspoon baking soda
• 1  teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 3  large eggs, beaten
• 3⁄4 cup  vegetable oil
• 4  large  very ripe bananas, mashed (2 cups)
• 1  cup pecans, chopped
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

• Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1⁄2 cup butter, softened
• 1 (1 lb) package confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 1  teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1⁄2 cup pecans, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F; grease and flour 3 9-inch round cake pans; set pans aside.
2. Prepare banana nut cake: In large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
3. Add eggs and oil, and stir just until dry ingredients are moistened; do not beat.
4. Stir in bananas, pecans and vanilla.
5. Divide batter equally among prepared pans.
6. Bake cake 25-28 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of layers comes out clean.
7. Cool layers in pans on wire racks 10 minutes.
8. With small metal spatula or knife, loosen layers from sides of pans; invert onto racks to cool completely, about 1 hour.
9. While layers are cooling, prepare cream cheese frosting: In medium bowl, with mixer on medium speed, blend together cream cheese and butter.
10. Gradually beat in sifted confectioners' sugar, increase speed to medium-high; beat until frosting is light and fluffy, then beat in vanilla.
11. Reserve pecans to sprinkle on frosted cake or, if you like, stir into frosting.
12. Fill and frost cake, using about 1/2 cup frosting between each layer.