Banana-Coconut Snack Cake

I wish that everyone could experience how good my house smells right now. This cake is the perfect antidote for a sweet craving. It’s moist and light with a great balance of banana and coconut. I find that I always buy more bananas than I can use fresh. I let extra ones ripen, peel them and then freeze them in individual zip top bags. That way I always have ripe bananas for smoothies, oatmeal and baked goods. Note: I used a 15 by 9 pan today, so yours will probably be thicker. Either way, the taste is just fantastic!

Ingredients:

3 very ripe bananas

½ cup granulated sugar

½ cup brown sugar, packed

½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1 egg

½ cup buttermilk

½ cup light, unsweetened coconut milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon coconut extract (optional)

¾ cup shredded, sweetened coconut flakes

2 cups cake flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

2 cups confectioner’s sugar

5-6 Tablespoons light, unsweetened coconut milk (however much you need to make a glaze)

½ teaspoon vanilla

Toasted coconut for garnish (optional)

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 13 by 9 baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the bananas, butter and sugars. Add in the egg, buttermilk, ½ cup coconut milk, vanilla and coconut extract. Mix for 3 minutes or until completely combined.

In another bowl, stir together the coconut, flour, baking soda and salt. Gradually mix this into the wet ingredients.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake for approximately 35-40 minutes. It’s done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, the top is golden and the edges have slightly pulled away from the sides of the pan.

While the cake is baking, make the glaze by combining the confectioner’s sugar, 2 Tablespoons coconut milk and vanilla.

Let the cake cool completely and then drizzle with glaze, top with toasted coconut if desired and cut into squares.