Banana Cake (With chocolate frosting)

I know that’s not very conventional. I really do not like the flavour of banana as a fruit personally, so the idea of banana cake was not at all very appealing to me. But my conception totally changed when I tasted one. The one I tasted had a cream cheese frosting. I was too eager to make it. But didn’t have cream cheese at home so opted for the most convenient & safe one – ‘Chocolate’. 

The second time when I tried, I did it without any frosting. Though I was a bit sceptical, but it was equally good with much less calories of course. 

So let get started.

Ingredients
• ¾ Cup of self rising flour
• 1 Tsp of vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tsp of baking powder
• 50 ml of cream
• ½ Cup of granulated sugar
• 1 ripe banana
• 4 Tbsp of butter
• ¼ Tbsp of salt
• ½ Tsp of baking soda

For Frosting (optional)
• 6 Tbsp of unsweetened cocoa powder
• 4 Tbsp of unsalted butter
• 1 Tbsp of vanilla extract
• ¾ Cup of brown sugar
• 5 Tbsp of condensed milk
• Icing sugar to sprinkle on top
• Chocolate Sauce

Method
Preheat oven to 350F / 180C. Grease a cake pan properly. Sprinkle a little bit of flour.

Put the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda into the food processor and whiz them together for about 15-20 seconds.

Chop the banana into the food processor next and whiz into a pulp. Make sure the banana is really ripe. It can be done by hand using a fork or potato masher, in a separate bowl.

Add the sugar and eggs to the mashed banana and whiz for another minute. Then add the butter and whiz for another minute until the mixture is thick and creamy.

Next, add the cream and vanilla extract. Fold together carefully,  making sure that there are no air bubbles.

Now fold the flour mixture into in a separate bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones and fold until just blended.

Scoop into greased tray and smooth out the top layer evenly.

Bake for about 40 minutes or until the top turns golden brown and the cake passes the skewer test. Remove and let cool completely before frosting.

For Frosting
In a medium bowl, sift together the brown sugar and cocoa powder, and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter until smooth, then gradually beat in sugar mixture alternately with condensed milk. Blend in vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy. If necessary, adjust consistency with more milk or sugar.

When the cake is cools, layer the frosting on the frosting on top & sides with a spatula. Then using a spoon, pour chocolate sauce in patterns on the cake. Sprinkle some icing sugar on top through a sieve.

Cut and serve.

And don't forget your potion of love.

Happy Cooking
Shreya