Baking Time

 On the weekend I did some baking. I made 25 little chocolate cupcakes, I also made a big banana cake for my step sisters birthday. It is her birthday today, she dose not know that is a birthday cake. We are having a birthday lunch for her. 

• Banana cake
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• 250g/8oz butter, at room temperature
• 1½ cups caster/superfine sugar
• 4 eggs
• 4 very ripe bananas, peeled and mashed (about 2 cups)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ cup hot milk
• 3 cups self-raising flour or gluten-free self-raising flour 

Preheat oven to 170°C/340°F fanbake. Line a 26cm/10in cake tin with baking paper.

Beat butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then bananas and vanilla. Dissolve baking soda in hot milk, add to banana mixture and combine. Fold in flour using a big spoon and a large scooping action to keep the mixture light. Do not over-mix. Transfer to prepared tin and smooth top.

Bake until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean and the top is springy to the touch (50-60 minutes). Allow to cool in tin, then turn out and ice when cool. Store in an airtight container in a cool place for 2-3 days or freeze.

Ice as desired with chocolate, lemon or passionfruit icing. Here the cake has been cut in half horizontally and the bottom half spread with vanilla buttercream. The top has been finished with buttercream, caramel sauce, white chocolate shards and hazelnut praline.