Tasty Tuesday

       
           I had another post ready for today, but I was sweetly reminded that today is Tasha Tudor's birthday, so since it falls on a Tasty Tuesday, I couldn't let the day go by without celebrating and sharing one of her favorite recipes! Now, I will admit, I haven't had this cake yet, but I've seen it around the web and it always caught my eye, so when I went looking for a Tasha recipe, this one just spoke to me and if it's good enough for Tasha, it's even better for me! Plus, my hummers are eating me out of sugar water so while I make a batch of juice for them, I'll be making this cake for us, this weekend!! So, come celebrate the life of this amazing woman with me!

3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
3 large eggs, beaten
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 8-oz. can crushed pineapple
1 1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 cups chopped banana

for Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
1 16 oz. pkg. confectioners sugar

Directions:

Cake: Combine the first 5 ingredients in a large bowl, add eggs and oil, stirring until dry ingredients are moistened…DO NOT BEAT. Stir in vanilla, pineapple, bananas and 1 cup pecans. Pour batter into three greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes clean. Cool cake in pans for 10 minutes then turn out and cool completely on wire racks.

Frosting: Mix butter, cream cheese and vanilla until soft and beaten. Add confectioners sugar until blended. Spread frosting between layers and sides/top of cake. Sprinkle chopped pecans on the top of the cake. (remember with a crumbly moist cake, put a very thin layer of frosting on first to “seal” the cake, then you can go back over and swirl the rest of the frosting all over)