Baking...

These are seriously yummy. Good enough to eat three in one sitting without blinking...yes, that good. I should know, I have done it a couple of times in the last three days. I had made the recipe in it's original cake format, but, this time I went with cupcakes which worked out brilliantly. I just had to tweak the time a bit and keep an eye on them. It's also a ridiculously easy recipe to make. Got any old bananas that sit forlornly on your counter going black? This recipe is for you! It's David, Elijah and Mama approved!

Banana Cake With Quick Caramel Frosting
Ingredients
Solid vegetable shortening for greasing the pans
Flour for dusting the pans
1 package (18.25 oz) plain yellow cake mix
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 medium ripe bananas, peeled and mashed (about 1 cup)
1 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil, such as canola, corn, safflower, soybean, or
3 large eggs
2 tsp creme de banane liqueur (optional)
Quick Caramel Frosting
1 cup chopped pecans (toasted)

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease two 9 inch round cake pans with solid vegetable shortening, then dust with flour. Shake out the excess flour. Set the pans aside.
2. Place the cake mix, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Add the mashed bananas, water, oil, eggs, and creme de banane (if desired). Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides again if needed. The batter should look well blended and the bananas should be well pureed. Divide the batter between the prepared pans. Place the pans in the oven side by side.
3. Bake the cakes until they are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center of each layer comes out clean, 30 to 32 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for ten minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edge of each layer and invert each onto a rack, then invert again onto another rack so the cakes are right side up. Allow them to cool completely, 30 minutes more.
4. Prepare Quick Caramel Frosting. This will take only 5 to 10 minutes; therefore, time the frosting preparation so that the cake has cooled enough and is ready to frost.
5. When the cake layers are cool, transfer one layer, right side up, to a serving platter. Frost the top layer with the warm frosting, working quickly because it will firm up as it cools. Place the second layer, right side up, on top of the first layer and frost the time and sides of the cake, making sure to work quickly with clean, smooth strokes. While the frosting is still warm, sprinkle the toasted pecans on top of the cake so that they cling to the frosting. Let the cake cool at least 1 hour for easier cutting.* store the cake, covered in plastic wrap, at room temperature for up to one week. Or freeze, in aluminum foil, for up to six months. Thaw the cake overnight on the counter before serving.
Serves 16
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Baking Time: 30 - 32 minutes
Assembly Time: 20 minutes

Quick Caramel Frosting
Ingredients
2 Tbls Butter
3 Tbls Brown Sugar
3 Tbls Sugar (white)
3 Tbls Cream
1/2 tsp Vanilla
Mix in a saucepan, bring to a boil. Cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Pour over cake.
Note: I did not use the creme de banane or the pecans. Also, I think that the frosting recipe could be doubled as there wasn't really enough to frost the sides of the cake. I just poured over the top, which worked well.