How to Make a Caramel Banana Cake

We had some bananas to use up, and needed an activity to keep small people occupied, so we decided to make some cakes to freeze for the school fete in October.

First step was to wash our hands "Why we washing our hands mummy?" "Why is the soap way up there mummy?"

Next was to clear out the kitchen and make some bench space. Mim pulled up her chair on the outside of the kitchen as instructed.

Step 1. Ask child to remove skins off three bananas and place in bowl.

Step 2. Take 125g of butter and 3/4 cup brown sugar and 'cream them'.

Step 3. Turn back to child, get another banana from fridge to replace the half eaten one and peel all bananas by oneself.

Step 4. Get child to break two eggs into mixture, one at a time, ensuring that you beat well between eggs. Encourage child not to lick the raw egg white from her fingers.

Step 5. Spend 5 minutes removing eggshell from mixture. Give child beaters to lick to keep her amused. (Remember to remove beaters from machine before doing this!)

Step 6. Get child to sift 1 & 1/2 cups of self raising flour and 1 teaspoon of bicarb soda into a bowl.

Step 7. Mop up flour from bench and floor, remeasure approximately 1/2cup and sift it into bowl.

Step 8. Mix 3/4 cup sour cream with 1 tablespoon of milk.

Step 9. Put mashed banana in with egg mixture and ask child to stir through.


Step 10. Put half of flour mix and half of sour cream mix into egg mix and ask child to stir carefully.



Step 11. Lunge at bowl before it is 'stirred' off the bench.

Step 12. Take over the stirring. Mix in remaining ingredients.

Step 13. Spoon into loaf tins lined with baking paper. Remove spoon from child that is trying to flick the mixture into the tin, clean up mixture from opposite cupboards.


Step 14. Place in oven and let child lick every implement and bowl used.



After the cakes were cooked, I turned them on to a wire rack and told Mim not to touch, that they had to cool properly. She went off to watch something on "her" channel (Nick Jnr and Playhouse Disney).

An hour later I was downstairs when the mower man rang to organise a time to deforest our back yard. During the conversation, I heard Mim call out "they are cool now Mummy". Stupid Mummy did not immediately race upstairs to prevent the inevitable.

Mim had pulled the chair into the kitchen, grabbed a steak knife from the knife block and slashed herself a large chunk from the end and put it on a plate for her afternoon tea. So, that's one less cake for the school fete!