Coffee banana cake for a birthday

any tried and tested recipes please

barnmont1, the following recipe is from:-
http://trademecooks.net.nz/viewtopic. php? f=15&t=625

"Banana Coffee Cake
1 1/2 cups flour 3/4 cup sugar 2 mashed bananas 1/2 tsp BP 100 gms butter 1 tsp Baking Soda 1 tbsp coffee essence 1/4 cup milk Pinch salt 1 egg Cream butter and sugar. Add everything else Bake 160 30 minutes. posted by melford":-))

cld u use a cuppa coffe instead?

fishheadsoup, I haven't used melford's recipe but I'm wondering do you mean instant coffee or espresso (i. e. from a machine)?
IMO you should be ok to use instant coffee and dissolve it in 1 tbsp boiling water or alternatively heat the milk and dissolve the instant coffee in the heated milk - it may be best to allow the milk to cool before adding it to the mixture although the banana loaf/cake that I make has milk heated, then baking soda dissolved in the hot milk and added to the mixture whilst still hot. If you have an espresso machine then IMO you could use 1 tbsp espresso coffee.

Hope that helps. :-))

Made this last night it was awesome. In your opinion, should you "just" mix the recipe until combined (like banana muffin) or really give it a good mix.

reider, to expand on the mixing method for the recipe as in #2 above - I would use what I was taught to call the Buttercake Method which is the method I use to mix the banana loaf/cake that I have very successfully made many many timesi. e. "Cream the butter & sugar, add the eggs & mix well. Add the flour & baking powder, & mix very briefly. Bring the milk just to the boil (easiest done in a coffee mug in the microwave), then add in & stir the baking soda to dissolve it. Add the frothy mixture to the loaf mixture & stir it in. Lastly stir in the bananas. " - for the full recipe I use go to:-

http://trademecooks.net.nz/viewtopic. php? f=15&t=613

and look for "Banana Loaf / Cake - the recipe I always use:"

:-))