The Chocolate Banana Friendship Cake

There comes a time when friendships are tested, and it's often through cooperation.  Can two friends cooperate and succeed in a task together?  

I don't usually cook with people.  Well, now I'm getting better, ever since this cake, really.  See, I had made a cake once together with a friend, for my other friend's birthday.  It was a disaster. We were yelling at each other and basically it took a toll on our friendship.  We had to stop talking to each other for awhile.  So when my best friend, Jess, had suggested that we make a birthday cake together for our friend, Lawrence, I was worried.

But you know what? If anything, this cake just strengthened our friendship.

This sounds like a drunken post, doesn't it?  I swear it isn't, though I am a bit delirious from being sleep-deprived.

So this cake.  It was fabulous.  My God it was moist. The frosting itself is quite bitter, against the sweet soft sponge inside...mmm... And bananas and chocolate are just the classic combination. 

 
Happy birthday Lawrence!

Ingredients
Cake Recipe adapted from here 
2 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1 stick/113g unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large, ripe bananas, mashed
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 cup dark chococolate chunks

Frosting recipe from here
3 tbsp butter
1/4 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk


Method
Preheat oven to 180C.  Grease and line a cake tin.

Mix the flour, baking soda and salt together in a big bowl.

In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and the sugar with a beater until light and fluffy.  Beat in the bananas.

Fold in the buttermilk, dry ingredients and finally the chocolate. 

Pour into the cake tin and bake for 50-60 minutes or until it passes the toothpick test (you insert a toothpick all the way through the cake and it comes out clean).  Take the cake out of the oven and leave it on the rack to cool completely.

For the frosting,
Add all ingredients to a bowl. With a hand mixer, beat to spreading consistency. Add milk as needed to thin.

Spread the frosting on top of the cake, decorate with sliced bananas and other things if you wish :)

-------
Love you Jess <3