| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 2 hr 5 min |
| Prep: | 50 min |
| Inactive: | 20 min |
| Cook: | 55 min |
| Yield: | 10 to 12 servings |
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter, for greasing
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 cup pecan pieces
- 3 ripe bananas, chopped
- 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh pineapple
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2 packages cream cheese (8 ounces each), at room temperature
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans and line with parchment paper. Butter the parchment and dust with flour.
- Spread the pecans on a baking sheet and bake until fragrant and toasted, about 8 minutes. Let cool slightly, then roughly chop. Toss with the bananas, pineapple and 1/2 cup flour in a small bowl.
- Whisk the remaining 2 1/4 cups flour, the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Beat the eggs and granulated sugar in a separate bowl with a mixer on high speed until thick and light, 5 minutes. Gradually beat in the vegetable oil.
- Sprinkle the flour mixture over the egg mixture, then gently fold to make a thick batter. Fold in the pecan-fruit mixture, then transfer the batter to the prepared pans. Bake until the cakes are firm and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes. Cool in the pans on a rack, 25 minutes, then invert the cakes onto the rack to cool completely.
- Make the frosting: Beat the cream cheese in a large bowl with a mixer until fluffy, then gradually beat in the butter until combined. Sift the confectioners’ sugar over the cream cheese mixture and beat until smooth. Add the lemon zest and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy.
- Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread about half of the frosting on top, then cover with the other cake layer. Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake.
- Photograh by Stephanie Foley
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 12 servings |
| Calories | 818 |
| Total Fat | 53 g |
| Saturated Fat | 18 g |
| Carbohydrates | 82 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 55 g |
| Protein | 8 g |
| Cholesterol | 125 mg |
| Sodium | 387 mg |
Reviews
Absolutely the best cake I’ve ever had. There are different versions to this cake but this is the one I use except for the ginger.
This was so amazing! In one bite you get a taste of many different things. Your palate will thank you and your guest will be amazed.
Agree with others on several counts: this is more like banana bread than cake, and the posted baking times are MUCH too long. I checked on mine at 30 minutes and am glad I did, as they were almost done. Food Network needs to be more exact with its ingredients also. Bananas can vary significantly in size, so the measure should be for a volume of chopped banana rather than “3 bananas.” Also, I used drained, crushed canned pineapple as, I am sure, 99.999% of people making this recipe will do (who is going to buy a whole pineapple, if you can even find one, for 1/2 cup?). I made 1/2 the frosting and it was plenty. Overall, tho, this was a decent base recipe. I used it because the other recipes I found were for 3 layers and I appreciated that this one was just 2.
Probably one of the best cakes I have ever had in my life. He has very moist and the cream cheese frosting is such a big hit with everyone.
Like many others, the cake was very dry, and I reduced the baking time to 35 minutes. I think the batter needs more fat, perhaps butter or a quarter cup of buttermilk. I will add that next time. The recipe has great potential because of the great taste. But too dry.
Excellent cake! Everyone loved it. Added 1/4 cup more pineapple based on reviews. Will definitely make this again (and again).
Oh my goodness! This cake is sinful! Everyone that has it, loves it. I’m in MD and friends in NC wants it when I visit again it was a hit.
Cut the baking time IN HALF! 50-55mins gives you cardboard cakes, 25-30 gives you a wonderful soft crumb. I add, and play around with, a multitude of additional spices too. Rock solid recipe.
I just made this cake tonight, and it did not disappoint. I would describe it as a kind of enhanced banana bread. The texture and density is like banana nut bread but the flavor is more developed. I agree with the previous reviewer who said that it could use a bit more pineapple. I used canned, so that could be the problem, but next time I make it I will use a full cup of pineapple. I made some minor substitutions: I used a half tbsp. of bottled lemon juice because I didn’t have zest on hand and I sprinkled the cake with sweetened shredded coconut after I frosted it. I also halved the frosting and found it was the perfect amount for me, but it was barely enough to cover the cake. Otherwise, I followed the rest of the recipe exactly, and it turned out quite nice.
This cake was delicious. Not dry at all and tasted great even without the frosting. I couldn’t really taste the pineapple… next time I’ll try using a full cup instead of just a half.