Jamie Hamblin took first place in the Forkland cake baking contest with a Supreme Banana Cake. Margaret J. Ellis was second with an Old-Fashioned Sorghum Apple Stack Cake.
Supreme Banana Cake with Coconut-Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 cup flaked or shredded coconut
3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
11/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
11/3 cup cups mashed ripe banana
1/2 cup sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 small bananas, sliced
1/2 cup lemon juice
Coconut-Cream Cheese Frosting
Bake pecans and coconut in shallow pans at 350 degrees, stirring occasionally, 5 to 10 minutes or until toasted. Set aside.
Grease two 9-inch round cake pans, line with wax paper. Grease and flour wax paper. Set aside.
Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Add buttermilk and mashed bananas. Beat until blended.
Combine flour and next three ingredients. Add to butter mixture, beating at low speed until dry ingredients are moistened. Beat at medium speed 1 minute. Fold in pecans. Pour into prepared pans.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans. Peel off wax paper and cook on wire racks.
Combine banana slices and lemon juice, stirring gently to coat; drain.
Spread 1 cake layer with 11/3 cups Coconut-Cream Cheese Frosting. Arrange banana slices over top, and spread with 11/3 cups frosting. Top with remaining cake layer, and spread with remaining frosting. Sprinkle with toasted coconut.
Coconut-Cream Cheese Frosting
2 12-ounce packages of cream cheese
3-ounce package cream cheese
3/4 cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar
3/4 cups canned sweet cream of coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
Beat cream cheese and butter. Then, beat in powdered sugar, cream of coconut, vanilla extract and coconut extract. Chill for 30 minutes.
Old-Fashioned Sorghum Apple Stack Cake
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons margarine
1/2 cup sorghum
2 eggs beaten
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup milk
Mix all ingredients. Place on floured board and knead like biscuit dough. Divide in seven portions. Roll out on wax paper to fit 8-inch cake pan. Bake at 375 degrees until done, about 10 minutes. Spread hot apple between layers. Allow to set 12 hours before serving.
Apple Filling
1 pound dried apples
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
Place apples in saucepan and cover 1/2 inch above apples (about 5 to 6 cups water). Simmer 30 to 40 minutes or until apples are mushy. Add remaining ingredients. Spread hot filling between cake layers. Layers may be frozen to be filled later.
