Banana Crumble Cake with a Bourbon Buttercream

Sometimes, I buy bananas with every intention of making smoothies. As days go by and the bananas turn to a lovely shade of brownish yellow, I usually make a banana bread. This week, I wanted to do something a little different; more exciting, yet still equally as delicious. So, the banana crumble cake was born.

Ingredients:

Cake:
- 2 cup flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1/2 cup buttermilk, divided
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 ripe bananas, mashed

Topping:
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 cup butter

Buttercream
- 1 cup butter; softened
- 2 cups powered sugar
- 1/3 cup bourbon
- 1/3 cup (almond) milk
- 1 tbsp vanilla

Method:

- Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

- In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Blend in melted butter until moist. Then add 1/4 cup of buttermilk and combine. 

- In a separate bowl, combine 1/4 cup of buttermilk and egg then add to the flour mixture.

- Add vanilla and mashed banana.

- Place batter in a greased 9x13 pan. I used a 9x9

- To make topping, combine sugars, flour, and cinnamon. Cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over batter.

- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes if in a 9x13, or about 50 minutes for a 9x9 pan. 

- Allow 5 minutes cooling time before removing from pan. Cool completely on wire rack. 

For buttercream, beat butter until creamy then gradually add powdered sugar alternately with bourbon and milk. Stir in vanilla. 

Once cake is cool, add a dollop of buttercream and enjoy!