Banana and Maple Toffee Cake

This is seriously sweet and divine, fabulous comfort food. It is very quick to make and looks so impressive. You may want to have a dollop of whipped cream on the side!

1 x 24 cm (9¾in) frying pan, non-stick or not

Toffee:

50g (2oz) butter

25g (1oz) brown sugar

50ml (1¾ fl oz) maple syrup

1 tbsp lemon juice

3 bananas, peeled

Cake mix:

100g (3½ oz) butter, softened

50ml (1¾ fl oz) maple syrup

100g (3½ oz) brown sugar

1 banana, mashed

3 eggs, beaten

175g (6oz) self-raising flour

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas 4. To make the toffee, place a 25cm (9¾ in) frying pan on a medium heat, with the butter, brown sugar and maple syrup. Cook, stirring every now and then for 4 minutes, until the toffee has thickened a little. Set aside and sprinkle with lemon juice.

To make the cake, cream the butter, add the maple syrup and brown sugar, still beating.

Add the mashed banana and eggs, bit by bit, then stir in the flour. Or you can just throw everything into the food processor and whiz briefly until it comes together. Slice the bananas in half horizontally, then in half widthways, and arrange in the pan in a fan shape.

Spread the cake mixture over the bananas and place the pan in the preheated oven for 35 minutes or until the cake feels set in the centre. Take it out when cooked, and let it set for just 5 minutes. Slide a knife around the sides of the pan and turn the cake out onto a plate (it must still be warm to turn out). Note: I find sometimes that when I turn this out, quite a bit of toffee remains in the pan. If this happens, place it on the heat, add 1 tbsp water and whisk until it all dissolves, then pour it over the bananas.