Four layers of moist banana cake wrapped in fluffy marshmallow like meringue frosting is bound to make a statement. Add a little coconut to mix to make it extra special and this star-spangled cake is perfect for a party!
Layer after layer of moist banana cake enrobed in fluffy white frosting. This cake is ready to make a statement at your next party. It feeds a crowd and is a feast for your eyes as well.
This is another great from Maida Heatter’s Cake Book. It is her Star Spangled Cake.
Every recipe I made from the book was wonderful, and this cake was no exception. So I thought I should revisit the recipe, update the pictures, the post and include a printable recipe card for you.
Since this recipe was originally posted in 2016, I figured most of you haven’t seen it. Those of you who did see it the first time have probably forgotten about it.
Those of us who were lucky enough to try it definitely haven’t forgotten about it, as it is a stunner. It was also the cake that created a rare occasion when my husband took the last remaining bit, still on the cake stand, and went after it with his fork.
He would usually rather eat more dinner than save room for more dessert. So seeing him tackle the cake right off the pedestal cake stand was really a site to behold!
When I read the description of the frosting for this Star-Spangled Banana Cake, I knew I had to make it. The cake sounded good.
Any time there are four layers of cake, it is sure to make a statement. But it was the GALLON of fluffy frosting that really caught my attention.
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The Banana Cake Layers
The cake itself was pretty straight forward. It came together easily and turned out of the pans easily.
Honestly we have been so spoiled with Di’s Banana Cake, that it had a lot to live up to. This cake is a lot like a banana bread baked in 4 round cakes.
It is moist and flavorful and all of those layers make for a stunning presentation. The bright white frosting really helps to delineate between the layers and set them all apart.
The Meringue Frosting
The highlight of this recipe for me was making the frosting. It is always fun to try something so different than what you normally make.
When I read through the instructions and saw that she said this frosting had to be made in at least a 4 quart mixer and even then it might go over the edge if you weren’t careful I knew this was the one for me.
I LOVE frosting and any excuse to use a whole gallon of the fluffy stuff on a cake is a good one for me. The recipe was slightly intimidating as it started with a hot sugar syrup and whipped egg whites, but it really came together easily.
It did completely fill my mixer bowl, but luckily I didn’t ever really have to reduce the speed to keep it in. It was so fluffy and a little tacky.
It held its shape perfectly. I would suggest getting it how you want it right away though, it gets even stickier as it sits.
More Great Homemade Layer Cake Recipes
Star Spangled Banana Cake With Southern Fluffy White Frosting
Ingredients
Banana Cake
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 6 oz butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 5 large fully ripe bananas about 2½ cups, mashed
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup buttermilk
- Optional: 1½ cups finely chopped pecans
Frosting
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup light corn syrup
- ¾ cup hot water
- ¾ cup egg whites about 6 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 14 oz shredded coconut
Instructions
Banana Cake
- Adjust racks in your oven so that they roughly divide the oven into thirds. Preheat to 350 F and prepare 4 9-in round pans. I just used the baking spray with the flour in it, but use your preferred method.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.3 cups all purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt
- In your mixer, cream butter until light and fluffy. Add sugar and extracts, then mix until combined.6 oz butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 cups granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- Add eggs, one at a time mixing well after each addition.3 eggs
- Lightly mash together the bananas and baking soda. Add to butter mixture and mix until combined.5 large fully ripe bananas, 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk mixture until completely added. Mix until just combined. Fold in pecans if using.½ cup buttermilk, Optional: 1½ cups finely chopped pecans
- Divide the batter among the four prepared pans (about 1½ cups each). The layer of batter in each pan will be thin. Smooth and place in oven so that no pan is directly over another.
- Bake for 28-30 minutes or until the tops spring back when gently touched.
- Invert and cool right side up on a wire rack.
Meringue Frosting
- Prepare you mixer (it really does need to have at least a 4 quart bowl).
- In a medium saucepan stir together sugar, corn syrup and water. Stirring frequently, heat mixture over medium heat until it comes to a full boil. Turn off heat.3 cups granulated sugar, ⅓ cup light corn syrup, ¾ cup hot water
- In the mixer, beat egg whites until you have stiff peaks. Keep the mixer on high speed and slowly (and carefully!) pour hot sugar mixture into the egg whites. Stop occasionally to turn off the mixer and scrape the sides. You want to be sure it all gets mixed together. If the icing looks like it is going to grow out of the bowl, turn down the mixer speed a bit. (I did not have to do that, but it definitely filled my mixer bowl)¾ cup egg whites
- Once all of the sugar syrup is mixed in, add the salt, vanilla, and almond extract. Keep mixer on high (if possible) for about 15 minutes. You want the icing to hold a very stiff peak.1 pinch salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- To assemble, layer a cake round then a generous amount of frosting. Repeat until you place the last cake round on top. Ice the sides of the cake, then spread remaining icing over the top.
- Using your hands, press coconut into the icing on the sides of the cake. Keep adding coconut until you reach your desired coverage.14 oz shredded coconut
- Let cake sit at room temperature until ready to serve.
- Maida suggest using a long sharp knife and a deep pitcher of hot water to cut the cake.
Video
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I'm glad you enjoyed this cake Carlee, you've done a fantastic job with it.
Thank you! I really enjoyed making a frosting so outside of my normal recipes.
Carlee I totally over looked this cake and I am so glad that you did it such justice! It looks stunning and one I am going to put in my back pocket! Beautiful X
It was a lot of fun to make! Thank you!
Wow! That is one big cake. Sounds yummy though.
It had to be served on dinner plates rather than desert plates!
I am totally amazed by your "the idea of a four layer cake with a GALLON of fluffy frosting was definitely intriguing" – gurl you got my vote for the most daring baker! BTW, what do you mean by 'tacky' regards the frosting?
It is a lot like a marshmallow fluff, so it dries with a little bit of a sticky feeling rather than a hard shell. I think you could do a lot of fun things with it while it is still warm and fresh, but once it sets it has a sticky skin and I don't think "fixing" anything would go well after it set.
Carlee that's a HUGE cake! I skipped making this recipe, not that it didn't sound appealing to me, but because I had to keep this bake small. The holidays have not been nice to my waist, and I needed to start cutting back.
I've been on the search for the best banana cake for quite sometime now, and I just haven't came across it yet. This cake looks delicious, I'm going to have to keep it in mind for future recipe testing.
I should have followed your logic, but I couldn't help myself. I have to say my favorite banana cake is still Di's Banana cake that I posted last year at about this time, but this one was definitely worth making.
Your Star Spangled Banana Cake looks beautiful! I'd love to have a big piece of it. 🙂
I would have been happy to share, it was a pretty big cake!
Mmmm…. Sounds so good! I've been craving banana lately and made a banana bread and cake this week.
Great minds do think alike!
They must! I'm curious to see what kind of banana cake you made.
That really does look amazing. Well done on being brave enough to tackle all that frosting. I felt I chickened out with the loaf cake!
I really wanted to make the lemon loaf, so I am glad I got to see yours! It was a lot of fun to give this one a go though.
Yummy and so pretty! I too am a sucker for a new frosting recipe, this one sounds so good! Now I'm super hungry for bananas and of course all those layers ago with them, ha ha
It was a fun one to make, that is for sure! I really like my fruit in cake form 😉
Oh yum! A four-layer banana cake with fluffy frosting all over it? I'm definitely in! That looks fabulous!
It was so much fun to make a cake with THAT MUCH FROSTING! I have been having a good time baking things I might not have otherwise.