Recipe: Banana Coffee Cake with Banana Glaze

BANANA COFFEE CAKE WITH BANANA GLAZE

CAKE:
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter; softened
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups mashed banana
1/2 cup banana liqueur
1/3 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
4 extra large eggs or 5 large ones
3/4 cup flaked coconut
3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/4 cup banana liqueur (for brushing)
GLAZE 1 (OPTIONAL):
1 cup powdered sugar; sifted
1/4 cup mashed banana
2 tbsp unsalted butter; softened
1 tbsp banana liqueur
1 tsp lemon juice
GLAZE 2 (OPTIONAL):
3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
2 tbsp unsalted butter softened
2 tbsp banana liqueur
powdered sugar; for dusting cake

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a 12 cup tube pan and set aside.

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt; set aside.

Beat butter until light. Slowly beat in sugar and beat until it is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

At low speed, beat in bananas, banana liqueur, sour cream, and vanilla. Beat in eggs, 2 at a time, just until blended.

Beat together the flour mixture and banana mixture alternately, beginning and ending with flour. Beat just until blended.

Stir in coconut and nuts by hand. Spread in pan smoothing top.

Bake until cake is golden brown and begins to pull away from sides of pan, about 60 to 70 minutes. Test in center. Loosely cover with foil if cake starts to become too brown. Remove from oven; let cool on wire rack 10 minutes in pan.

Carefully invert cake onto cake plate. Brush with the 1/4 cup liqueur. Let cool.

Glaze with either of the glazes or dust with powdered sugar.

TO MAKE GLAZE:
Combine all ingredients until well blended. When the cake is lukewarm, spoon glaze over top. Let cake cool completely.