Banana cake with citrus cream cheese frosting

I don't know where to begin after such long hiatuses. Do I reintroduce myself?  Carry on like a month and three weeks did not, no way, go by and take a single script with it? Although, this could be a nonissue since I'm not writing a chapter book. Cooking how-tos in less than 400 words are kind of liberating. You throw your point across and hope at least a few catch. Though, let me tell you, it can be burdensome when my cook-photograph-blog-now list grows to unmanageable proportions, without getting offloaded somewhere. Still, I really do hope you miss our tete-a-tetes. Because I've missed you.

The indefinite search to satiate certain voids  cravings that need to be addressed yesterday, have you troll the web to find answers. In this case, I'm talking snacking dessert. I'd like to say, how wonderful it is to have an uncountable amount of midnightsnacks that aren't just meant for midnight. Goodies in-between meals, sometimes a meal on its own, are energy sources and ultimate mood enhancers. When you know not end from tail, of how your appetite//life will further set pace, and there is nothing more gratifying than a slice or three of cake. I'm telling you, your search should be productive when trying to fix unyielding obsessions. 

Tagged as the "Best Ever", today's banana cake is highlighted with 5 stars and a trail of almost two thousand reviews. Most were boasts, some lengthy essays, of everyone and their mother making BestEver their go-to cake/dessert/potluck recipe.  I was totally intrigued, reviewing these reviews, because it's this breed of testimonial that force you to climb out of hibernation and demand the same results from your own oven.

Like the gamut of banana desserts, it calls for overripe, spotted bananas, which I didn't have. Using the green stemmed/ semiripe/ones I like to eat, was definitely the most genius thing I've ever done(don't hold me to that). It yielded a terrifically different texture, tiny surprise bites inside soft moist crumb. The addition of buttermilk cuts in perfectly to nix any intimidating sweetness.

Moreover, it's exactly this genre of cake that makes cream cheese frosting its default enhancer. Two types of citrus peel jack the icing several notches, adding further freshness to the whole scene. 

Might I add, there isn't a statute of limitations on how you can pretty up this, or any cake, for that matter. And that should never be your excuse for not trying. 
Because we all have an inner pastry chef that's just screaming to come out. Don't we?

(Adapted from Food.com, now GeniusKitchen)
Ingredients:

• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 ½ cup mashed bananas
• 3 cups flour
• 1 ½ tsp baking soda
• 3/4 cup salted butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 ½ cup buttermilk
• 1 ½ cups cream cheese frosting
• ½ cup toasted walnuts

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 275°F
• Grease two 9 inch circular cake pans.
• Stir in the lemon juice with bananas. Keep aside.
• In a large bowl, sift flour, baking soda.
• In bowl of electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until fluffy,
• Beat in eggs until mixture is pale and thick.
• Stir in vanilla.
• Gradually add in the flour mixture, alternating with buttermilk, combining batter thoroughly.
• Stir in bananas.
• Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake for 1 hr to 1hr 15 minutes until toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean.
• Remove from oven and place on a parchment covered plate directly in freezer for 30 minutes.
• To frost, take cakes out of freezer and come to room temperature.
• Frost with cream cheese frosting.
• Top with walnuts

Cream cheese frosting recipe here. To this, I added 1 tsp orange zest and ½ tsp lemon zest.
To toast walnuts: Spread nuts on a foil lined baking sheet and bake in a 350° preheated oven until lightly browned, about 5-7 minutes.

Keeps well for up to 3 days, at room temperature. After that, refrigerate. 

2016~ Cashew fudge

2015~Basic chicken curry

2014~Besan(garbanzo bean flour) laddoo

2013~ Dulce de leche cookies

2012~Napoleans

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His word. Never returns void~

"Then the Lord replied: "Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and not delay." Habakkuk 2:2,3