Sometimes you just want tea and cake. And you don’t care how healthy it appears to anyone else because – food for the soul, man. I bought a bundt pan after Christmas when an attempt was made at making monkey bread in the angel food cake pan with removable bottom and all of the butter ran out. But since that time I hadn’t found the perfect way to enjoy a bundt cake. Then a couple weeks ago when trying to think of what to bring to a house warming, I stumbled across some banana cakes on Pinterest and couldn’t get the thought out of my head. (I ended up bringing a veggie tray to the party, btw. Can’t always take the nutrition out of the girl.)

Finally after acquiring a few ripe bananas, it was time to make a cake! Bundt cakes always have this sort of rustic appeal – they don’t need to be perfectly frosted, but are always moist and delicious.

Rather than the traditional drizzle for a bundt, I opted for a thicker cream cheese frosting because really the only option for banana cake is cream cheese frosting (and you want plenty of frosting).

There is just something about sitting down to a slice of cake and tea that’s just super peaceful. And of course the tea is black Earl Grey.

Banana Yogurt Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Serves 16

Ingredients

• 1/4 c softened butter
• 1/4 c canola oil
• 1 & 7/8 c sugar
• 2 tsp lemon juice (keep the bananas from turning completely brown)
• 1/2 c milk or almond milk
• 1 c plain yogurt (full fat)
• 3 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 very ripe bananas, mashed
• 8 oz Neufchatel cream cheese
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 cups + more powdered sugar depending on desired sweetness
• 2 T milk or whipping cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Grease and flour a bundt pan and set aside. You could also use the spray with flour but make sure every corner is reached.
3. Mix the lemon juice into the mashed bananas and set aside.
4. Mix together the butter, oil, and sugar in a bowl.
5. Incorporate the eggs one at a time into the butter sugar mixture.
6. Add in the 2 tsp vanilla, salt, milk, and yogurt. Mix well and make sure everything is combined.
7. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour and baking soda. Then slowly add in the flour mixture to the rest of the batter.
8. Lastly, add the mashed bananas and gently fold in to combine.
9. Pour the batter evenly into the greased and floured bundt pan (I used a 12 cup bundt pan) and bake at 350F for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
10. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack. When still slightly warm, transfer to a plate by inverting cake and lifting pan. Cake should come out smoothly, but you can run a knife around the edge to loosen the cake if needed.
11. To make the cream cheese frosting, soften cream cheese to room temperature. Mix together the cream cheese, milk, and 1 tsp vanilla. Adding 1/2 cup at a time, mix in the powdered sugar. You can add additional milk to adjust the frosting consistency to your liking.
12. Once the cake is mostly cool, frost the cake by “draping” the frosting over the top and letting it fall down the sides. You may have some left over frosting.

Although the cake was completely delicious, I was so happy I had C to help me eat it. And just like Jack Sprat and his wife, C and I happily share more cake for me and more frosting for him. 🙂

I think that life needs to be embraced, and we can’t be “healthy” all the time, but we can be well and balanced in body and mind – and sometimes cake is part of that. And brownies. And wine.

What is your favorite treat for keeping balance in life with both mind and body? Do you find it’s a special food treat or maybe a lounge day?