Pipsqueak's Noms: "Use ALL the flavours" Chocolate and Coffee Banana Layer Marble Cake with Maple Icing and Walnuts

I came across a recipe for banana cake with maple icing in a pullout from the Waitrose paper my Nan saved for me the other day (all my family now save me recipes, it makes me so happy! Thanks guys).

Anyway, we've been on a maple rampage since getting our waffle maker so, for the first time in my life, there was some in the cupboard. For some reason, I have a bit of a brain issue when it comes to the word maple. I randomly interchange it with 'pecan' and have no idea why, apart from the fact they are two flavours that are a recognised and popular combination. Either way, MAPLE is good. Maple syrup is something I wish I had known about years ago. Actually, no, scratch that, I'd be even fatter if I had. But it's in my life now and I wanted it in/on/around my banana cake.

But then I got to thinking...

"So maple and banana go together, huh? But I also fancy doing a chocolate marble effect. That would probably work, I've seen recipes for chocolate banana cake. Coffee always helps the chocolate flavour along, so maybe I should put some of that in there too... Ooh, and I know that coffee and walnut go together, so let's top it with walnuts."

So I ended up with Franken-cake, really. I'd do it again.

Honestly, I have never seen my Mum eat a piece of cake so fast. Plus I almost thought I'd washed the icing bowl and not remembered... but it turned out she had just licked it clean. I'd call that a ringing endorsement of the whole maple buttercream thing...

p.s. Thank you, Mum, for artily arranging the walnut halves!

"Use ALL the flavours" Chocolate and Coffee Banana Layer Marble Cake with Maple Icing and Walnuts
The banana cake recipe is one my Mum has used for donkeys years, but in essence it's just a Victoria sponge mix with 2 bananas mashed in. My change was to split the mixture after adding the eggs and add cocoa and coffee to one half. The icing recipe didn't come from the Waitrose supplement in the end, though it was what sparked this cake in the first place. I used the standard buttercream recipe off the back of the Tate and Lyle Box and then just modified it slightly. You may need slightly more or less icing sugar to get the consistency right - or just add more or less milk! This made enough icing to fill the cakes, and completely ice the top and sides too.

For the Sponge
6oz sugar
6oz margarine
5oz self-raising flour
3 eggs
1oz cocoa powder
1 tsp coffee granules and a little boiling water (optional if you don't like coffee)
2 ripe bananas, mashed

For the Maple Buttercream
7oz icing sugar
3 tbsp maple syrup
3oz butter or margarine (sacrilege, but we always find margarine works better for us)
Approx 1/2 tsp milk, depending on consistency
Around 8 walnut halves (pecans would probably also work nicely)

To make the sponge

1. Preheat the oven to 180C and grease and line 2 sandwich tins (I was using silicone so, um, didn't).

2. Whisk together the margarine and sugar - the longer the better. I just left it in our stand mixer for 5 minutes while I went off and did some stuff, coming back to briefly scrape down the sides. I love that thing.

3. Add in the eggs, whisking between each addition. My mixture curdled terribly at this stage but don't worry about that.

4. Place a bowl onto the scales, zero, and pour the mixture in. Halve this number and place your original bowl back on, zero, and put half the mixture into that. You could do this all by eye or by guessing the weight of eggs, but I just found this best for me.

5. Sift in 3oz of flour to one bowl, fold in, and add 1 mashed banana. Set aside.

6. To the other bowl, sift 2oz of flour and 1oz of cocoa powder. Fold in, then fold in the other mashed banana.

7. Divide the plain mixture between the two tins, in dollops for the marble effect (see my marble cake recipe too). I did this by counting out spoonfuls to make it as even as possible.

8. Add the chocolate mixture in the same way, filling the gaps between the plain mix.

9. Give it a quick swirl and level it slightly without disturbing the mixture too much. The one on the left has been swirled and the one on the right has just been dolloped - see the difference?

10. Place in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until they spring back when touched. When slightly cooled, run a knife around the edge, turn out onto a cooling rack, and leave to cool completely.

To Make the Maple Buttercream

1. Place the margarine/butter into a fairly large bowl. Cream this first if you want - if it's already fairly soft you might be okay if you're careful. I make buttercream with a fork just so I can be gentle and not get icing sugar everywhere.

2. Gradually sift in 6oz of the icing sugar, reserving 1oz for later. Beat in until smooth.

3. Add the maple syrup.

4. Sift in the remaining 1oz of icing sugar.

5. If you need to alter the consistency, either add more icing sugar or add a little milk.

6. Ice the bottom of one of the cakes (i.e. flip it upside down so you have a nice smooth surface).