Easy Banana Cake with Coconut Sauce

I found these cute dishes at Target during the holidays a couple of years ago and the aqua napkin came from Target too ~ I did however paint the cherries and daisies on it.
So this is one of those recipes I have experimented with so many times I've lost track. It's very forgiving and allows for low fat substitutions! I'll tell you what I did this time rather than explain the original recipe that is so loaded with butter and cream cheese I would never want to make it because I would have to spend a life time on a treadmill as to not feel guilty!
I'm somewhat of a careless baker and measure very quickly and never take time to do a bunch of steps especially when pressed for time. I threw all of the ingredients into my KitchenAid all at once! I know some of you are probably gasping that I would do such a thing but this cake turns out so good all of the time so no worries!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare a 9 inch square pan ~ I like to use Bakers Joy spray ~ so easy and fast
Add all of this to your mixture:
3/4 c. applesauce
1/4 c. canola oil (sometimes I use olive oil)
1 1/2 c. flour + 1/4 c. more if it's a little too runny at the end
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
3/4 c. packed brown sugar (you can use a little less if you want to) I usually determine this by what my bananas are like. In a perfect world I love to bake banana bread/cake 10 days after purchasing them from the store - they seem to be the perfect sweetness and I can then lower the amount of brown sugar to 1/2 c instead of 3/4 c.
1 large egg ( I love free range High in Omega eggs ~ so good for you)
3 well ripened bananas mashed
1/4 c. vanilla or plain yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
whatever nuts you have on hand is always good to throw in (today I used pecan halves - maybe about 1/2 of a cup)
Okay....turn your mixer on and see what it looks like....at this point if it's looking a bit too runny add your other 1/4 c. flour ( I use whole wheat if I have it on hand).
Beat all of these ingredients for about 1 minute - scrape down the sides and beat another minute on Medium speed. Pour into your prepared cake pan and bake for 30-35 minutes depending on your oven. I'd check after 30 minutes to make sure it's not too done. Poke with a cake tester a if it comes out clean it still might need a few more minutes! Today mine came out clean so I took it out of the oven but as it turns out it needed just a couple more! Cool in pan on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before turning out onto wire rack. Meanwhile start your sauce. I say sauce instead of frosting because I like to keep the cake separate from the sauce so it doesn't get all mushy. Then the two flavors are very distinct to themselves. The cake tastes like banana and the sauce tastes like a pina colada.
Time to make the sauce:
I had about 1 T. of whipped cream cheese left in the fridge so I threw that in the mixer
2 T. vanilla or plain yogurt
3 T. of softened salted butter
2/3 c. powdered sugar
3 T. canned cream of coconut ( I love Coco Lopez - I get it at Wal-Mart - it's cheap and is excellent in smoothies too). Make sure to mix it really good before adding it to the rest of your ingredients (it settles in the can).
1 t. Rum ( I like Bacardi Gold)
1/3 c. flaked coconut
Mix all of this until the butter is nice and smooth. It will be pretty runny. I like to chill mine in the fridge while the cake is cooling. Once your cake is cool to the touch you can now slice it however you'd like and spoon the delicious coconut sauce on top and add a little more flaked coconut too if desired.
That's it all done!! This cake freezes wonderfully and the sauce keeps very nice for a few days in the fridge - it too can be frozen. Just remember to keep the two separate : )

Here's what the can of Coco Lopez looks like of you are wondering!