Heat your oven to 350°F (176°C). Prepare three 9” (23cm) round cake pans by buttering the insides well and dusting with flour. If you can, cut three 9” (23cm) rounds of parchment paper to line the bottom of each cake pan so the cake releases easily from the pan after baking.

To make the cake:

Stir together the cake flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and ground cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and butter. Combine half of the egg mixture with the dry ingredients, and stir to combine well. (If you choose to use your electric hand mixer for combining the batter, do not overwork the batter.)  Add the remaining egg mixture and stir until the batter is well combined. Add the vanilla extract, pineapple, 1 cup of chopped pecans (or walnuts) and bananas. Stir well. 

Pour the batter in even amounts into the baking pans. If you can, it helps to weigh each pan to confirm an equal amount of batter is added to each pan. Place the equally filled pans in the preheated oven, and bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean when tested. Remove the cake pans from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Carefully remove each cake from its pan, and cool completely.

To make the frosting:

Combine the frosting ingredients once the cake has completely cooled. Using an electric hand mixer, combine the cream cheese and butter. Whip until smooth, about 1 minute. Stir in the powdered sugar until well combined.* Add the vanilla and whip the frosting for 30 seconds with the electric mixer until light and fluffy.

Frost the cake by dividing the frosting into two portions. Use one portion to fill the layers of the cake, and the other portion to frost the top and the sides of the cake. Top the cake with 1 cup of chopped pecans (or walnuts.)