S.O.M.B. (some of my best)

Old bananas are unappealing to most people but trust me on this one.... old bananas make the best banana pudding, banana cake and banana bread.

When your bananas get brown and soft- peel them, place the rotten bananas in a freezer bag and store them in the freezer. My mom puts the over ripe bananas directly in her freezer with the peel on, but my friends growing up always thought it was weird. Because of this, I tend to peel them and freeze in baggies. Either way, I am always thankful to have frozen rotten bananas when I get a hankering for a banana dish. Plus, it feels good to make use of spoiled food.

Stick with me, I promise to share something appealing- BB's S.O.M.B. Banana Cake. This recipe is her ultimate S.O.M.B. ("Some of my best") dessert. I know for sure it is her family's most frequently requested dessert.

S.O.M.B. BANANA CAKE

You will need:

1-1/2 cups bananas, mashed

2 teaspoons lemon juice

3 cups all purpose flour

1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cups (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar

3 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1-1/2 cups buttermilk

Preheat Oven to 300 degrees.

Grease and flour a 9-by-13 inch pan.

Mix mashed bananas with lemon juice in a small bowl and set aside.

Mix flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Beat the eggs in one at a time.

Stir in the vanilla.

Beat in flour mixture alternating with the buttermilk.

Stir in banana mixture.

Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake for 50 minutes or 1 hour, until a toothpick comes out clean.

And for the kicker...

Remove cake from the oven and put directly into the freezer.

(this odd technique insures that the cake is ultra moist)

Frost with cream cream frosting when cake is cooled.

Devour.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

You will need:

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3-1/2 cups confectioners sugar

1 tablespoon milk

Beat the butter and cream cheese together with an electric mixer until smooth.

Gradually add the confectioners sugar.

Beat on low speed until combined and then on high until frosting is smooth.

If the frosting is too stiff to spread, beat in milk.

Spread on the cooled cake.

Honestly, I usually eat banana cake straight out of the pan- not on a fancy plate.