Banoffee Birthday Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

Prep Time: 2 ½ hours | Cook Time: 30 mins | Course: Dessert | Servings: 12

Magnolia’s vanilla birthday cake has a fine tender crumb, it’s moist and delicious and makes a perfect cake or cupcakes as well. Inspired by Magnolia’s Bakery https://www.food.com/recipe/magnolia-bakerys-vanilla-birthday-cake-and-frosting-139518 and by Glenn’s love of banana desserts. Packing in the flavor, here I have a layer of bananas and malibu butter right in the middle of the cake as it bakes. Dulce de Leche and sliced bananas star as the filling as well. The icing is vanilla cream cheese…Happy Birthday Glenny!! 

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups sugar

4 eggs, room temperature

1 ¼ cups flour

1 ½ cups self-rising flour

1 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

Malibu Banana Butter:

2-3 bananas, sliced

½ cup butter

½ cup brown sugar

1 shot malibu coconut rum, optional, but wonderful

1 tsp vanilla 

Vanilla Cream Cheese Icing:

2 8-oz cream cheese blocks, softened

½ cup butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

Dulce de Leche Filling:

1 banana, sliced

14 oz dulce de leche 

or sweetened condensed milk*

Preheat oven to 350*. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add in the eggs, one at a time while on a low speed. Sift flour and self-rising flour over the batter and pour in the milk and vanilla. Gradually lower the paddle while on low speed. Mix until just combined, taking care not to overmix thus keeping the crumb tender.

Lightly spray oil and line two 8” cake pans with a parchment circle, divide ½ the batter into the pans and spread evenly. Slice 2-3 bananas, as needed and lay on top of the batter. Beat the butter, brown sugar, malibu and vanilla together. Divide and spread over the bananas. Divide the 2nd half of the cake batter over the banana layer and spread evenly. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool completely before turning out of the pans. Place the bottom layer on a cake plate or other serving surface.

Mix cream cheese and butter together in a stand mixer until fluffy, mix in the powdered sugar and vanilla bean paste. Pipe a big swirl of icing on top of the bottom cake layer with our biggest round tip. This will hold your filling firmly in place. Top with banana slices and pour dulce de leche on top of the bananas until it is almost even with the icing. Place the 2nd cake on top and frost a thin layer of icing on top and sides of the cake. This is called your crumb coating. Place in the fridge to cool for half an hour or so before icing with a second coating and decorating as desired.

*If you can’t find dulce de leche, use a can of sweetened condensed milk. I put a washcloth in the bottom of a medium-sized saucepan then the unopened can of condensed milk (peel the paper off) then cover with water (adding more water as necessary, due to evaporation). Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 ½ hours, turning the can over once mid-cooking time. The cloth on the bottom is to keep the can from rattling around.

For cupcakes, check after 20 minutes with a toothpick or cake tester.