Coconut Banana Cake

It’s Memorial Day Weekend and you probably have some picnics to go to. We do. These are the kind of events where everybody brings a different item. I’m on dessert duty. Here’s one of my favorite desserts to make for outdoor summer eating:

Coconut Banana Cake

1 ½ cups granulated sugar
1 cup butter, softened
3 large, ripe bananas
2 cups unbleached white flour
1 tsp. baking soda
4 T. buttermilk
2 tsp. vanilla
2 large eggs
2 cups chopped pecans
2 cups shredded coconut
4 cups powdered sugar

Directions – Cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour three 9-inch round cake pans. Cream sugar and ½ cup of the butter; add the eggs. Mash two of the bananas and mix in. Sift flour and baking soda; add to the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, blending well after each addition. Mix in 1 tsp. of vanilla. Fold in one cup of the pecans and 1 cup of the coconut. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 to 35 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.

Directions – Frosting:
Cream together ½ cup of the butter and the 4 cups of powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Mash the last mashed banana and stir it in. Finally, add the last cup of pecans, the last cup of coconut and the last teaspoon of vanilla. Blend well before frosting cake. If desired, toast about 1/4 cup additional coconut for garnish on top of cake after frosting.

Hope you have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend!

~Becky