BANANA CAKE....OH SO SWEET!

"Once in a lifetime, one should be allowed to have as much sweetness as one can possible want and hold." ~Judith Olney            This is Grandmother Grace's homemade banana cake. She would prepare this for Miss Judy and I every summer when we would visit Ohio.....playing outside with our cousins all day, catching lighting bugs in the evening in her big backyard....don't you love those wonderful childhood memories.....Oh,  Gram.....we loved you so!       GRANDMOTHER'S BANANA CAKE 3/4 cup butter 2 1/8 cups white sugar 3 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups buttermilk 2 teaspoons lemon juice 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas

	Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9" x 13" baking pan. In a small bowl, mix mashed bananas with lemon juice, set aside. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
	In a large bowl, cream 3/4 cup butter and 2 1/8 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Stir in banana mixture. Pour batter into prepared pan.
	Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place directly into freezer for 45 minutes. This will make the cake very moist. This is actually the secret for the moistness of this cake. Indeed it is not the normal temperature in which to bake a cake, but this cake always turns out beautifully. Cooling the cake in the freezer prior to frosting, will always bring you great success with this recipe!   CREAM CHEESE FROSTING 1/2 cup butter, softened 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened 3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
	In a large bowl, cream 1/2 cup butter and cream cheese until smooth. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add confectioners sugar and beat on low speed until combined, then on high until frosting is smooth. Spread on cooled cake. Garnish with chopped pecans!