Banana Cake With Chocolate Whipped Cream

c Shortening 2 c Sugar

3 Eggs

2 c Mashed bananas (about 4 lg)

1 ts Vanilla

3 c All-purpose flour; sifted

1 ts Baking soda

1 ts Salt

1/2 c Buttermilk

1 c Chopped pecans

Chocolate whipped cream; -below 2 md Bananas

Lemon juice 1/2 c Coarsely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour two 8-inch square or two 9-inch round baking pans. Cream shortening and sugar together in mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in bananas and vanilla. Sift flour, soda, and salt together; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in 1 cup pecans. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until cake begins to pull away from sides of pan and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes; remove from pans and cool on wire racks. Place bottom layer on serving plate; spread with half of the Chocolate Whipped Cream. Slice bananas and dip slices in lemon juice. Place half of the banana slices in a ring around edge of bottom layer. Cover with top layer of cake; spread with remaining Chocolate Whipped Cream. Garnish with remaining banana slices and 1/2 cup chopped pecans. Keep refrigerated until serving time. CHOCOLATE WHIPPED CREAM: 1 cup semisweet or milk chocolate morsels, 1 cup (8 ounces) whipping cream. Melt chocolate morsels in small saucepan over low heat; set aside to cool. In chilled mixing bowl using electric mixer on high speed, whip cream until stiff. Gently fold in cooled chocolate until blended.
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