Banana and Lemon (Birthday) Cake

For Mick and Sadie’s birthday on Wednesday I made a cake – I hardly ever make birthday cakes but I have a book on Lemons (quite useful for here!) and there is a lovely recipe for what I wanted.  I find with Victoria Sponge type cakes, you have to eat them on the day – after that the cream goes a bit funny and the sponge isn’t the once light and fluffy thing it once was.  This recipe is a bit sturdier, doesn’t have cream or jam to make it soggy and therefore is good for quite a few days (we have been eating it for 3 now!!).  I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this one for children – it is too subtle in flavour and contains no chocolate!  For grown up afternoon tea it is just perfect.

You will need two 9 inch round loose-bottomed cake tins lined with greaseproof paper.

9 oz plain four

1 and a quarter teaspoons of baking powder with a pinch of salt

4 oz soft butter

7 oz caster sugar

3 and a half oz soft light brown sugar

2 eggs

Half teaspoon grated lemon rind

About 4 medium bananas

1 tsp vanilla essence

2 fl oz milk

3oz chopped walnuts or almonds

For the Icing

4 oz softened butter

1 lb icing sugar

1 tspn lemon rind

5 tablespoons lemon juice

Lemon rind curls to decorate, or edible flower or whatever you like

Pre-heat the oven to 180 c, 350 f, Gas 4.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl

Beat the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy, beat in the eggs one at a time and stir in lemon rind.

Blitz the bananas with the vanilla and milk and then whiz in with the butter mixture alternating with the flour.  Stir in until blended and ad the nuts (or obviously you can leave them out in case of allergies).

Divide between the tins and bake for around 30 mins or until golden and a tooth pick should come out clean.  Leave for 5 minutes and then turn out on a wire rack.

Cream the butter until smooth (a hand whisk is best for this), then gradually beat in the icing sugar.  Stir in the lemon rind and enough of the lemon juice to make a spreadable consistency.  Sandwich the cooled cakes together, then spread the remaining icing over the top and sides and decorate.