This is a wonderful cake to make when you have over ripe bananas hanging around the fruit bowl.  I often make this cake to bring to parties.  Work time is only 20 minutes, then an hour in the oven, 10 minutes to cool and you can add the glaze and go.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, then butter and flour a bundt pan.

Ingredients:

2 Sticks of softened butter

Tip:  If you only have 15 minutes to soften the butter, and can’t wait an hour or two, cut the sticks in small chunks on a plate and it will soften.  If you really are in a rush just microwave on defrost setting for 20 seconds and check it, then maybe another 12 seconds and it is softened.

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

2 cups mashed ripe bananas

2 1/2 cups self rising flour

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 cup chopped walnuts (to bring out the flavors I put them on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 3-4 minutes or until you can smell the nutty aroma.   This brings out the nut oils.)

1 cup milk chocolate chips (tossed in 1 tbsp flour so that they don’t sink to the bottom of the cake)

Blend the sugar and butter in a Kitchen aid blender bowl or in a large bowl with a hand held mixer.  Add the eggs 1 at a time, mixing well between additions.  Mix in the bananas, then add the flour and cinnamon while blending on lowest setting.  Mix in the walnuts and the flour covered chocolate chips with a spatula or wooden spoon.

Pour the batter into the bundt pan and put the cake in the middle of the oven.  Cook for 55 minutes and check if a toothpick comes out clean.  If not, then bake for 5 minute intervals and checking again.

Cool the cake for 15 minutes in the pan.  While cooling, put all the glaze ingredients into a medium bowl and whisk.  Set aside until the cake is on the plate.

Put a knife around the outside of the pan to loosen the cake from the pan.  Invert onto a cake plate.  Bang the top all over with a butter knife to loosen.  Cross your fingers, then dump the cake out.  Sprinkle confectioners sugar on top with a fine mesh sieve or cover with orange glaze as explained below.

Secret:  I have to be honest; sometimes it comes out beautifully, other times not so much.  For my run through and photo session, the cake did NOT come out well, so I patched it together and threw on the glaze.  It looked funky so you are seeing a photo before I put it onto the cake plate.  Even looking imperfect the flavors were all there so no harm done.

Orange Glaze:  1 cup confectioners sugar, splash vanilla, zest of one orange and 1-2 tbsp of milk, depending on how runny you like it.  All ingredients are just combined with a whisk or hand held blender, starting off with 1 tbsp milk and then adding in a bit more until it is thin enough to drizzle on top of the cake and it will slide down the sides.