BANANA CAKE FOR TWO RECIPES

Steps:

• Pre-heat the oven. Rub some of the butter around the inside of a 1kg/2lb loaf tin or insert a baking liner. Chop the butter into small cubes. Put the butter cubes and sugar into a mixing bowl and beat until pale and creamy. Beat in the vanilla extract. Break the eggs into the bowl, one a time, beating well between each. Add half the flour to the bowl and beat well. Mash the bananas, add these to the bowl and beat again. Add the remaining flour to the bowl and mix it in. Tip the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the top. Bake for 55–60 minutes. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 20 minutes then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Line bottoms of 2 greased 9-in. round baking pans with parchment; grease paper. Combine the first 5 ingredients; beat on low speed until moistened, about 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes; stir in mashed banana. Spread 1/2 cup batter into each prepared pan. Arrange 2 cups vanilla wafers on batter (1 cup per pan), flat side up. Gently spread remaining batter over wafers. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 15-20 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely., Whisk milk and pudding mix 2 minutes. Let stand until soft-set, 2 minutes. Meanwhile, in a chilled large bowl and using chilled beaters, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add sugar; beat until soft peaks form. , Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread with pudding mixture. Top with second cake layer. Spread sweetened whipped cream over top and sides of cake. Crush 1 cup vanilla wafers and press onto sides of cake. Garnish with remaining whole vanilla wafers and, if desired, sliced bananas. Store in the refrigerator.