Eating The Sky

Ever wondered what banana bread and carrot cake would be like together? No? Really? Well I have and I created such a concoction very recently. Here are the two recipes that I used for the cake:

Banana Bread http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/banana-bread-recipe/index.html
Carrot Cake (thanks Alton!) http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/carrot-cake-recipe/index.html

I used a bundt cake pan because... well, it's all I could find to bake in at the moment. Not my first choice but let's give it a go. I started with a buttered and powdered sugar dusted pan, then made and added the banana bread, smoothing it out slightly without spreading it up the sides of the pan. This is for a double layered effect. Next I chopped up some candied pecans I made a few days prior and sprinkled them on top. Then I made and added the carrot cake over top of those. I baked it at 350 for one hour then turned the oven off and left it in for another 10 minutes. I then pulled it out to cool (preferably in a place where your friend's dog isn't going to eat it) for about an hour. Then chill in the freezer for 10 minutes before adding the frosting.

I wanted to make a French buttercream for the frosting or at least a cream cheese frosting but alas neither were available from the cupboard genie. So I opted for a yogurt frosting. I made this by softening a tablespoon of butter in the microwave and blending it with yogurt and vanilla extract. Then blending in powdered sugar until thickened to a nice icing texture. Spread frosting on the cake and sprinkle coconut flakes on the outside, tilting the cake sideways to spread more evenly. You could even zest an orange or lemon into the icing or sprinkle on top. Slice and eat with a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream. Nums.