Banana Bundt Cake with Caramel Latte Glaze

I need another dessert in the house like I need a 4-year old in the kitchen. In other words, I don't need need it, but it makes me happy on a very deep level.

I've had dessert on the brain the past few weeks. The trouble with giving up chocolate for Lent is that I then become obsessed by everything else that's bad for me. Cookies, cupcakes, leftover frosting, jelly beans...I have a feeling that Lent and bathing suit season are not complimentary for me this year :)

When looking for a way to entertain myself and my children on this snowy(!) March morning, I remembered the overly-brown bananas hiding behind a stack of papers on the counter. Banana bread is good, especially with chocolate chips, but I wanted to try something a little different. And my bundt pan has been neglected lately. So I'm entertaining it too.

Ingredients

• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon (I used 1/2 tsp Ceylon cinnamon and 1/4 tsp Vietnamese Cassia from Penzeys)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1  cup mashed ripe banana (about 2 large bananas)
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Grease a bundt pan. Sprinkle chopped walnuts in the bottom and set aside.
3. Whisk together dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt). 
4. With an electric mixer, add the butter, banana, buttermilk, vanilla, and eggs. Blend until no lumps remain (about 1-2 minutes on low).
5. Pour into bundt pan over walnuts.
6. Bake 35-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the top comes out clean.
7. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.
8. Sprinkle cooled cake with powdered sugar, or top with Caramel Latte Glaze (below)

Carmel Latte Glaze

• 1 tablespoon instant coffee
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 heaping tablespoon caramel ice cream topping
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

1. Stir coffee, milk, and caramel in heat-proof bowl. Nuke about 15 seconds to help the coffee dissovle.
2. Stir in the powdered sugar.
3. Drizzle over cake