Michelle has cooked this for us at bookgroup on numerous occasions, and it is always a winner.

Ingredients

• 125g butter
• 1.5 cups castor sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup mashed ripe banana
• a few drops of pure vanilla
• 250g plain flour
• 1 teaspoon bicarb soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 cup milk with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
2. Grease a 22cm square tin, line the base with baking paper.
3. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Beat in the 2 eggs, mashed banana, vanilla.
5. Sift the dry ingredients and add to mixture alternating with the milk and lemon juice.
6. Spoon into prepared tin and bake for 1 hour or until a fine skewer inserted comes out clean.
7. Cool cake in its tin on a wire rack for a few minutes before turning out.
8. Cool completely before cutting or storing in an airtight tin.

Options

1. Combine 1.5 tablespoons of coarsely chopped walnuts, 1.5 tablespoons self-raising flour, 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 50g softened butter and 1.5 tablespoons brown sugar. Scatter over the uncooked cake and bake as above.
2. Blend 60g cream cheese or marscarpone, 125g pure icing sugar and 30g softened butter, add a few drops of vanilla, then spread over the top of the cooled cake.