It’s somewhat out of character for me to let these quickly browning bananas get to me, because as a general rule, I am what you might call a “food waster.”  My husband is the opposite.  He’ll eat leftovers that have been marinating in the fridge for 2 weeks.  “It’s just a little mold,” he’ll say. “It scrapes right off- cheese IS mold.”

I, on the other hand, place a 48 hour expiration date on almost anything.  Yes, with the exception of pie, if I made it more than two days ago, it is no longer fit for human consumption.  I am one to toss the milk if it’s one day past the expiration date, even if it still “smells fine” as my husband would say. 

You would think I would have no problem throwing out forty-nine cents worth of bananas.  But I do.  I don’t know why.  Maybe it’s because I know their potential.

Anyway, for the last couple days, I have had three such bananas- slowly developing little brown eyes and staring at me.  “Do something with me, Shannon……”  “Baaaaaake me…..”

One of my very favorite things to do with overripe bananas is Banana Pudding.  It’s probably my favorite and most nostalgic dessert.  I had it a lot as a kid.

This cake captures all the delicious flavors of banana pudding, but without the layering of bananas, the making of homemade pudding, or the buying of those expensive Nilla Wafers. (You know you’re a family of four on one income when you start classifying a $4.50 box of Nilla Wafers expensive.)  It actually tastes EXACTLY like banana pudding.  But as a cake.  I may try this as cupcakes with a whipped cream frosting for my daughter’s birthday next month.  We’ll see. 🙂  This time, I covered it with a delicious brown butter glaze.

Enjoy.

Ingredients

1 (18.5oz)  box of yellow cake mix

1 (5.1oz) box of instant vanilla pudding

1 cup of milk (I used 2%, use what you have- I would imagine the higher the fat, the better the cake)

4 eggs

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3 mashed overripe bananas (at least one cup)

For the glaze:

1/4 cup butter

2 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3-4 tablespoons milk or half and half

Preheat the oven to 350°.  Grease and flour an angel food cake pan, a 9×13 inch pan, or a 10 inch bundt pan.

Mix together the cake mix, pudding mix, milk, oil, and eggs until smooth. Fold in the mashed bananas.

Bake for 40-55 minutes (less time if you are using a 9×13 inch pan, as it will be more shallow) until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

After removing the cake from the oven, start to work on your glaze.

Heat the butter in a saucepan over medium heat past the melting point, until it is boiling and a delicate brown. (Careful not to burn this- nobody wants to eat burnt butter glaze.)

Remove from the heat and immediately add the remaining ingredients.  This should be a little less thick than frosting.  Add milk or half and half until you achieve desired consistency.  Spread over the warm bread.