Prep time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 1 hour and 10 minutes (includes 1 hour chilling time)
Total time: 2 hours and 10 minutes
Yield: 10 servings
Bourbon Banana Cake
Ingredients
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3/8 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
2 1/4 cup mashed bananas (about 6 very ripe bananas)
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup bourbon
Procedure
1. In a medium bowl mix melted butter, mashed bananas, eggs, vanilla and bourbon. Set aside to let flavors steep for at least half an hour.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour three 8-inch cake pans and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk flour with the sugars, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Fold wet banana mixture into the flour mixture until all ingredients are moistened. Be careful not to over mix. Divide and pour cake batter into greased and floured cake pans. Bake cakes 20 to 25 minutes in the center of the oven or until a toothpick inserted into middle of the cakes comes out clean.
4. Cool cakes in the pan for 5 minutes then invert and remove from pan to cool completely on wire racks.
Bacon Sprinkles and Peanut Garnish
Ingredients
8 strips of thick cut, high quality bacon, cut in half
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons bourbon whiskey
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 cup peanuts, coarsely chopped
Additional honey for drizzle garnish (to taste)
Procedure
1. Set aside chopped peanuts and additional honey for use during cake assembly.
2. Arrange bacon slices in a single layer on the bottom of a large cast iron skillet. Cooking in batches over medium heat, fry bacon until it’s just done making sure that bacon is not too crisp.
3. Use tongs to remove bacon from pan and place on a paper towel covered plate. Blot bacon with paper towel to remove excess grease. Drain all but two tablespoons excess grease from frying pan and add brown sugar and bourbon.
4. Return pan to medium-low heat. When mixture begins to bubble slightly toss in bacon and coat with sugar mixture. Drizzle coated bacon with honey and cook until bacon achieves a candy sheen. Remove bacon from pan with tongs and place bacon pieces on a cutting board to cool.
5. Reserve liquid in pan. Once bacon has completely cooled, chop into “bacon bits” and set aside.
Fried Bananas
Ingredients
4 semi-ripe bananas (these can be lightly spotted, but you still want them to be somewhat firm)
Reserved bacon grease/sugar/honey/bourbon mix
1 tablespoon bourbon whiskey
Procedure
1. Slice bananas crosswise into medallions of approximately the same size.
2. In a large cast iron skillet, heat reserved bacon grease mixture over medium low heat with bourbon. When mixture begins to bubble slightly use tongs to add bananas in a single layer to the pan. Cook for bananas for several minutes each side until bananas are completely coated and slightly softened.
3. Use tongs to carefully remove bananas from the pan and cool completely on a large plate.
Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
8 tablespoons pasteurized egg whites
4 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup Smooth Operator peanut butter
Procedure
1. Whisk sugar and egg whites together in a large heatproof bowl or the bowl of a double boiler. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water, the bowl should be a snug fit with the pan. Whisk the mixture constantly until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is hot to the touch, approximately 3 minutes.
2. Using the whisk attachment on a stand mixer, beat the egg white and sugar mixture at medium speed until it is cool and milky white in color, approximately 5 minutes.
3. Switch to the paddle attachment and add the butter to your mixture one stick at a time. Beat until smooth between each addition. Once you’ve added all of the butter, beat the buttercream on medium-high speed until it is thick and smooth, 6-10 minutes. Once buttercream has reached a thickened state add in vanilla extract then add the Smooth Operator ¼ cup at a time.
4. If you aren’t ready to use the buttercream immediately, place it in the refrigerator with a piece of plastic wrap pressed firmly against it. Refrigerated buttercream will be too firm to spread, so you’ll need to get it up to room temperature then beat by hand before attempting to spread. Do not try to beat it buttercream right out of the refrigerator — otherwise your buttercream will separate. You can freeze any extra buttercream to use later.
Assembling your cake
Procedure
1. Place first cake layer on your serving plate or platter. Spread cake generously with buttercream and layer with half of the fried bananas. Buttercream is very heat sensitive, so if you are preparing this in a warm kitchen or during warm months, you may want to refrigerate between assembling each layer for 20 minutes or until frosting is set to prevent any sliding.
2. Add the second cake layer on top of the first and spread generously with buttercream and layer with the remaining fried bananas.
3. Add the final cake layer and spread generously with buttercream. Use remaining buttercream to completely frost the sides. Top cake with bacon sprinkles, chopped peanuts and drizzle with honey.
4. Store leftover cake completely covered in the refrigerator.
Tags: Bacon, Bananas, Cake, Dessert, Elvis, Frosting, Peanut butter, Smooth Operator
22 Responses to Triple Layer Elvis Birthday Cake with Peanut Butter Buttercream
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Oh my! Amazing!
Wow! That beats the pants off the cake I made for Elvis’ birthday last year! I’ll definitely give this cake a try.
Oh My!!! I have got to try this!!! It looks AMAZING!!!
I’m going Bananas….banana cake and fried banana filling, WOW. This cake is crazy.
Wow this cake looks amazing!!! Bacon and fried bananas for dessert?!?! What more could I want?
TODAY is the king’s bday. This would have made him proud.
My friend/co-worker made two of these the past weekend. With the first one, he was told “not enough bacon”. So for the second cake he added more bacon in-between the layers. It is delicious.
Wow – you guys have had so many Elvis recipes lately. This looks amazing…don’t think me crazy, but since I keep kosher now I am going to try it with Bacos!
I made this for my husband’s birthday. He loves me now more than ever! I can’t thank you enough for this recipe, it got raves from everyone who tried it. Perfect!
I just baked this cake yesterday for my birthday! I absolutely love peanut butter, bananas, and bacon. I’ve never put all three together. Amazing! It is soooooo sinful though. A tiny sliver was enough even for me (and I have one of the biggest sweet tooths of anyone I know). The banana bourbon cake layers came out so moist. They were perfect! I’ve never made buttercream with egg whites, but it turned out really tasty. The egg whites really made a fluffy frosting. The candied bacon is definitely what made the cake. Crunchy, a little salty, and sweet from the brown sugar/bourbon mixture. Loved it! I did have a coworker who thought it could’ve used more bacon. I actually agree.
@Gail – if you read this, how did the extra bacon in the layers turn out? Did it get soggy at all/lose its crunch? That’s my only concern with adding it between the cake layers.
omg… my 2 loves r peanut butter and chocolate and 2 add all the other stuff like bacon n bananas omg… i think i would make this 4 breakfast 4 company! i mean who wouldn’t? love love love peanut butter & co. products and recipes!
my friends are burners. we love bacon! and cake is so welcome where we play 🙂
my friends love bacon!
Yummy…….I will have to try to make this soon……yum yum yum!!!
I would make this recipe if I had company coming over! It sounds amazing! I could have an entire Elvis Presley theme. That would be fun!!
So many delicious looking recipes. This one I will have to try,I love chocolate and banana cream pie together it’s bound to be a winner!
This cake has got me all shook up! If I were baking for myself, this is the cake I’d make.
I would make this minus the bacon
loved Elvis and I would love this cake.
OMG! I am so making this the next time we have company! …or maybe just for me. Yuuuummmm!
My sister and dad love elvis and im gonna make this cake for them and i hope they like it!! It looks so good in the picture and i hope its as good as it looks!!
It is extremely enjoyable reading your post, i have gather enough ideas for my upcoming article.