Carrot Banana Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
Carrot Banana Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
Today is National Siblings Day! I have THE best siblings and there are a lot of them. I am one of eight children, number five to be exact although my twin brother may disagree with that, but I was born two minutes before he was, so I claim the fifth spot. I’ve got four awesome brothers and three amazing sisters who all live in the west, but not close enough for my preference. Each one is talented, successful, creative and particularly wonderful parents to all my nieces and nephews. Here is a fairly recent (blurry) photo of six of the eight of us at our aunt’s funeral (minus two sisters). Aren’t they so good looking? (My twin is on the left.)
We get together now and then, but rarely all together. Except for this summer, our youngest sibling, Kelly has planned a fabulous family reunion to be held in Bear Lake Idaho in July. I can’t wait. All my siblings will be there. It’s going to be a blast. We are a crazy, active bunch, no doubt. There will be plenty of laughter, games, competitions, reminiscing and reacquainting with each other. Our mother and father have passed away, four and fourteen years ago, respectively and of course, we wish they could join in on all the fun. We’ll bring our children and their children; I think Kelly said there would be around 85 of us. Our last reunion was about nine years ago so there have been lots of changes.
Family is everything. What better way to celebrate my darling siblings than by baking a cake, but not just any old ordinary cake. I’m inspired by my sweet mother who loved to bake carrot cake. I’ve adjusted her recipe a bit by substituting bananas (because I had to get rid of my ripened ones) for the pineapple, using whole wheat pastry flour instead of all-purpose and switching to coconut oil instead of vegetable oil. The result is a very moist, slightly more nutritious version of my mother’s. This is the most delicious carrot cake I’ve ever eaten. A cake this special deserves a memorable frosting so I’ve added a never-to-be-forgotten cinnamon cream cheese frosting, made with reduced-fat cream cheese, light sour cream and cinnamon, of course. Did I tell you that this might be the best carrot cake I’ve ever eaten? Enjoy!
- Carrot Banana Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
- Cooking Spray
- 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup light sour cream
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups grated carrots (about 3/4 pound)
- 1 cup mashed ripe banana (2-3 medium bananas)
- 1 cup coconut oil or butter (melted)
- 4 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese
- 2 Tbsp butter, softened
- 2 Tbsp light sour cream
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp packed brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- Chopped Pecans (optional)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a bundt pan with cooking spray and lightly dust with flour, tapping out the excess.
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl.
- Combine the sugar and eggs in a mixing bowl. With a handheld electric mixer or standing mixer, beat until well blended, 3 to 4 minutes on high speed. Add the sour cream and vanilla; mix until well blended. Stir in the carrots and banana.
- Add the dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated into the batter.
- Add the coconut oil and stir until it is mixed into the batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared bundt cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool on wire rack for 5 minutes. Turn out the cake onto cake platter to cool completely.
- For the Frosting: Combine the cream cheese, butter and sour cream in a mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer or a standing mixer, whip until smooth and well combined. Add the powdered sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and cinnamon and mix until light and fluffy.
- Once the cake is completely cooled, spread the frosting over the top of the bundt cake. Top with pecans, if desired. Refrigerate until ready to serve.