Banana cake with chocolate buttercream

Ingredients

• 250 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 350 g sugar
• 4 eggs
• 4 ripe bananas, mashed
• 2 tsp (8grams) baking soda
• 60 g whole milk
• 500 g All-purpose flour
• 2 tsp (8 grams) baking powder
• 250 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 500 g Icing Sugar/powdered sugar
• 50 g Cocoa Powder
• 1 Tbsp Vanilla
• 3 Tbsp (45ml) whole milk

Instructions

1. 1

   --- BANANA CAKE ---

2. 2

   Preheat the oven to 350°f/180°c. Grease two 8 inch cake tins.

3. 3

   In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a bowl with an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add bananas and beat until incorporated. Add eggs one at a time, ensuring bowl is well scraped down and mixture is well combined.

4. 4

   Heat milk in the microwave, or a small pan until boiling. Add baking soda to milk, and add to the mix, mixing until well combined.

5. 5

   Sift flour and baking powder, and add to the mixture. Mix briefly until just combined. Divide between the two prepared tins, and bake 30-40 minutes until lightly golden, and a tester inserted in the middle of a cake comes out clean. A ramekin of water in the oven with the cakes will help generate steam and reduce doming. If you don't mind the cake being a little more dense, you can also place a clean tea towel over the cake soon after it comes out of the oven and press down gently to help lessen the dome. Cool in their tins for 10 minutes, then carefully remove and allow to completely cool on a wire rack.