One Bowl Baking
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[Photograph: Yvonne Ruperti]

This classic southern cake is full of pineapple, banana, and pecans and iced with a creamy cream cheese frosting. This snack cake version is easy mixed in just one bowl and oh so moist.

Notes: Make sure to use a ripe banana. Choose one that is deep yellow with some brown speckling.

About the Author: Yvonne Ruperti is a food writer, recipe developer, former bakery owner, and author of the new cookbook One Bowl Baking: Simple From Scratch Recipes for Delicious Desserts (Running Press, October 2013), and available at Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, Powell's, The Book Depository. Watch her culinary stylings on the America's Test Kitchen television show. Follow her Chocoholic, Chicken Dinners, Singapore Stories and Let Them Eat Cake columns on Serious Eats. Follow Yvonne on Twitter as she explores Singapore.

About This Recipe

Yield: makes one 9-inch square cake
Active time: 15 minutes
Total time: 3 hours
Special equipment: 9- by 9-inch nonstick pan

Ingredients

  • For Cake
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup (7 ounces) firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 large ripe banana, mashed (about 1/2 cup)
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can crushed pineapple in syrup
  • 1 1/4 cup (6 1/4 ounces) all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2/3 cup pecan halves, chopped, plus extra for garnish
  •  
  • For Cream Cheese Frosting:
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1/3 cup (1 1/3 ounces) plus 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
  • 1 tablespoon dark rum (or milk)

Procedures

  1. For Cake:Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease 9- by- 9-inch baking pan. Whisk eggs, sugar, salt, and banana in a large bowl until completely combined. Whisk in pineapple (with liquid) until combined.

  2. Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and chopped pecans to the bowl, and then whisk until completely combined. Pour into prepared pan and bake until top is set and toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack to cool completely, about 2 hours. Wash bowl.

  3. For Cream Cheese Frosting: In the same bowl (washed), stir cream cheese and sugar until combined. Whisk briefly until smooth. Gently whisk in rum (or milk). Spread over cooled cake and top with reserved pecan halves.