Banana Layer Cake

Preheat the oven to 180°C, (fan 160°C, gas mark 4) and lightly grease a 20cm round, deep sided cake tin and base line with baking parchment.

Cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Add the eggs one by one, beating well in between each one. Sift in half the flour with the baking powder and mix well. Mix in the milk and then the remaining flour.

Fold in the mashed banana along with the vanilla extract, poppy seeds and sultanas. Tip the mixture into the prepared tin and level the top.

Place in the oven and bake for about one hour, until a skewer comes out clean and the cake is golden brown and springs to the touch. Cover the top with foil if it looks like its browning too quickly. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before turning out onto a cooling wire to cool.

To make the buttercream beat together the butter and golden icing sugar until pale and fluffy.

Next carefully slice the cake horizontally into three even layers and using a palette knife spread a layer of buttercream on to the top of the base layer. Place the next layer on top then spread some more buttercream on top. Finally place the top layer on and spread more buttercream on top. Finish with banana chips.