Homemade Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

This dense, moist cake is an awesome treat for dessert or breakfast with your coffee.  The cream cheese frosting hits just the right spot - serve slightly warmed if you can.  This recipe will make more frosting than you need for one sheet cake but you can refrigerate (up to 2 weeks) or freeze it and it would be great on cinnamon rolls.

Cake Mix:
3 medium overripe bananas
1/2 cup shortening
1/4 cup chunky applesauce (see my recipe here)
3/4 cup buttermilk or sour milk (1 tablespoon lemon juice then add enough milk to get to 3/4 cup and let sit 5 minutes before using)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 1/4 cups flour

Beat the bananas until smooth.  Add the shortening and applesauce and beat until mixed well.  Slowly add the buttermilk, beating as you add it.  Add the remaining ingredients and beat until smooth.  Pour into a greased 13x9x2 or a 1-inch deep cookie sheet.  This recipe will not rise much so you can fill your pan fairly full without worries of it running over the edge.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes until it is golden and the edges have pulled away from the pan.

Frosting:
1 block cream cheese, softened
1 stick butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons milk
1 large bag powdered sugar

Whip together cream cheese and butter until fluffy.  Add vanilla and milk and blend until smooth.  Gradually, add powdered sugar and beat until smooth.

If serving right away, frost individual servings and let the rest of the cake cool completely before frosting.  Store in the refrigerator.