Gone Bananas

$6.37 for 3 medium sized bananas!?! GOod GRACIOUS!...wow...I've never had bananas as 'precious' as these in my life. According to a well-informed local; banana prices in Australia have sky-rocketed due to the recent cyclone hit which wiped out most banana plantations along the coast. If I wasn't desperate for a coffee-banana cake combo; I would have definitely opted for an alternative fruit.
"Coffee and banana" is a pretty common variation of ordinary banana-bread loaves back in Malaysia. I can't say I've seen them being matched up in Sydney though. I'm not the biggest fan of neither bananas nor coffee; but I cant imagine saying "no" to a slice of coffee-banana spongelayer for dessert any day! The 2 distinct flavors compliment each other perfectly in a medley of moist cake slices, coffee syrup and fresh chunks of banana. I gave this recipe a touch of spice with ground cinnamon and added subtle hints of crunch with roughly crushed toasted walnuts in the cake batter.

2 bananas
130 g butter
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp strong and rich coffee granules (use your favorite brand)
1 cup castor sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 cups self raising flour
2 large eggs lightly whisked
1/3 cup crushed lightly toasted walnuts

syrup: 1 cup icing sugar, 1/3 cup boiling water, 3 tsp condensed milk, 2 tsp coffee granules.
Stir syrup ingredients to create a thick syrup mixture. Set aside.

Melt butter, milk , coffee and sugar in microwavable bowl and stir well to incorporate. Add in sifted ground cinnamon and flour and fold through. Pour in eggs and walnuts and stir well to combine. Bake in a deep 9 inch round pan for 35-40 minutes in 180 degree preheated oven. Don't forget to grease the cake tin and line the sides with baking paper.
I used my favorite "bend-n-bake" silicone cake mold which saves me the hassle of lining cake tins. Silicone mats/molds/bakeware were made for lazy baker's like me *laughs*
Turn cake out onto a wire rack and allow to cool for 30 minutes. Slice the cake once horizontally through the center to create 2 sandwich layers. Slice the bananas into tiny circles and arrange around the bottom cake layer. Spoon syrup generously over the banana slices and top off with top sandwich layer. *edit: I forgot to mention, add only 1/2 of the syrup to the bananas! I had a little too much on mine*
Dust with icing sugar and slice into individual servings. It's best eaten warm with an extra drizzle of coffee syrup...MmMmmmmm....I devoured a large slice on my own for breakfast this morning! Remember to store it in an airtight container to prevent the corners from drying up. I always tend to overlook tiny details like these.