Today is my good friend Lillian's birthday. In honour of her special day I have made her Crater Cake recipe. Her banana cake recipe has been my favourite way to use up all those "dead" bananas for years! My freezer has been accumulating little frozen banana torpedoes for months now...so this means war! Time to take action!
I don't know where the recipe originated, but she had made it on the prairies of Saskatchewan for years . It is one of those recipes that has been passed from household to household and shows up in recipe boxes across the country.
It has layers of cinnamon and brown sugar streusel studded with chocolate. I am guessing the reason it is called crater cake is because the chocolate chips on top look like craters of the moon.
Now, if you try the recipe then it will be known the world over!!
I know I should be sleeping in on this lazy Sunday morning, but, here it is 10:30 and I have already baked Crater Crake and a dozen Harvey Wallbanger Cupcakes. Lunch is at the Cactus Club, so, off I go to get ready to meet the birthday girl....
**Lillian's Crater Cake**
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 ripe bananas (mashed)
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup brown sugar
1-1/2 cups milk chocolate chips
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Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs and beat until smooth. Add vanilla and bananas. Mix well till smooth. Sift flour, baking powder and baking soda. Add to banana mixture alternately with sour cream, ending with dry ingredients. Pour half of the batter into 9 x 13-inch pan.
Combine cinnamon and brown sugar. Sprinkle 1/2 of this mixture over batter in pan. Top with 1/2 of the chocolate chips. Repeat layers.
Bake in 350F oven for 45 - 50 minutes.
