Sometimes a mom can get really tired of looking at brown...OK black..bananas. My usual course of action is to simply throw them in the freezer and use them later in yogurt smoothies. Bananas actually taste sweeter the more brown they are, so over the years I have taught myself to make a pretty mean banana bread (with chocolate chips, of course). Yesterday I decided to try something else: a banana cake from the Boston Globe's Sunday Magazine. The recipe called for a tubed pan, something I don't own, so I went with a bundt pan. I think the last time I used that pan was to make an an ice ring for a spiked punch. That was two Christmases ago.

Anyway, the kids loved the cake and I have been serving it up for lunch, snack and dinner since it came out of the over. Just kidding. Here's the recipe in case you have some rotting bananas in your house. Enjoy.

Nana's Banana Cake, The Next Generation

Butter (for the pan)
Flour (for the pan)
3 Cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
14 T. (1 stick plus 6T) unsalted butter at room temp
2 T. cream cheese, room temp
1 1/2 C granulated sugar
4 eggs, beaten
2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 small to medium ripe (read: brown) bananas, mashed to make 2 C
confectioner's sugar

Set oven to 350 degrees. Butter 10-inch tube pan (or bundt pan). Dust with flour. Recipe said to line with parchment paper but I blew off this step!
In a bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt.
With electric mixer, cream the butter and cream cheese for 1 minute on medium speed, scraping down the bowl. Add the sugar and beat for 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs, vanilla, and bananas.
Add the flour mixture to the batter and beat just until well blended.
Pour the batter into the pan and tap the pan once on the counter to get rid of air pockets. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the center springs back when pressed in the middle or a toothpick comes out dry. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for30 minutes. Release from the pan onto a plate or cakes stand and dust with confectioner's sugar.