Cake: 2 1/4 cups sugar 3/4 cup solid vegetable shortening 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (3 bananas) 3 eggs 1 1/2 tsps. vanilla extract 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp. salt 1 1/2 tsps. baking powder 1 1/4 tsps. baking soda 1 cup buttermilk 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans Frosting: 1 cup mashed ripe banana (2 bananas) 3 Tbls. butter; softened 2 cups confectioners' sugar 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray three 9-inch cake pans with cooking spray. To prerape the cake, cream sugar, and shortening together with an electric mixer. Add mashed bananas, eggs and vanilla extract. Mix well. In a small bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add to banana mixture alternating with buttermilk. Beat 3 minutes on medium speed. Stir in pecans. Pour batter into pans. Bake 30 minutes.

Frosting: Beat together mashed bananas, butter and confectioners' sugar. Add additional confectioners' sugar as needed to achieve spreading consistency. Stir in pecans.

Spread frosting on top of one layer, top with another cake layer, frost that layer and then top with last layer and frost whole cake.