Banana Fluff Cake

I was looking over some over the hill bananas today and thinking of making banana bread. But I always make banana bread. So what, then? This got me thinking about a time when I consumed a LOT of bananas-- my freshman year of university. I would spend my meager allowance on entertainment for the weekend and then was left with only a few dollars for snacks and such. I learned very quickly how to make the cheap and sugar-loaded staple of many college dormitory dwellers: banana fluff sandwiches. The three ingredients, bananas, bread, and marshmallow fluff were very cheap. Another variation was the fluffernutter: fluff and peanut butter.

I have not made a fluff anything since freshman year ended and I moved out of the dorm. Now I wanted to see if I could recapture the essence of my beloved banana fluff but in a more presentable fashion.

Banana Cake (similar to banana bread but fluffier)

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup (2 sticks) butter
• 3 very ripe bananas
  
• 2 eggs, separated
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (I love spices so I added more cinnamon as well as nutmeg)
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream the sugar and butter together. Mash and add in the bananas and stir until smooth. Add the egg yolks and milk, and whisk all together. Slowly sift in the flour, baking soda, and cinnamon.

In another bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the batter and add the vanilla. Pour into a greased 9" cake pan and bake at 350 F for 45 minutes to an hour, or until a toothpick inserted comes out cleanly.

Fluff Frosting

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 12-14 marshmallows

Place butter, egg whites, cream of tartar, and sugar inside a double boiler and bring water to a low boil. Whisk the ingredients together quickly until they become incorporated and frothy.

Turn down the heat to low and add in the marshmallows. Keep whisking until everything is dissolved. Note: tearing the marshmallows into smaller pieces causes them to dissolve into the frosting more quickly.

Turn the heat back up and whisk until peaks start to form, similar to soft peaks in egg whites. Let the frosting cool slightly, but not too much and then frost the cake.