Dark Chocolate Banana Cake With Delicate Lime Toffee Sauce - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 cups sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1 cup black coffee
1/2 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 bananas (the closer to being rotten the better)
50 g dark chocolate (Lindt 70% Dark is best)
50 g dark chocolate (Lindt chilli chocolate)
1 lime (juiced)
1 teaspoon lime (zest of)
1/4 cup sugar (extra)
2 tablespoons water
ice cream (for serving)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celcius.
Grease and place grease-proof paper in one 13 x 9 inch baking pan.
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or use a small dish standing in a saucepan of boiling water that comes half way up the sides on low heat.
Mash the bananas on a plate.
In a large bowl mix together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, salt and baking powder.
In a separate bowl mix together milk, eggs, coffee (2 tsps to one measuring cup of boiling water, don't use your favourite coffee cup !), oil, vanilla and cider vinegar.
Add the milk mixture, the mashed banana and the melted chocolate to the flour mixuture stirring thouroughly with a wooden spoon until combined. The batter will be thin.
Pour into prepared pan.
Bake until top of cake springs back when pressed and cake tester inserted comes out clean. (About 35 - 40 minutes.).
Let cool then turn out onto wire rack.
Delicate Lime Toffee Sauce.
Put water and extra sugar in saucepan and melt on a low heat.
Turn heat up to medium and cook until sugar reaches soft crack stage. (drip a little of syrup into cold water, if it sets firmly but doesn't quite break with a snap its ready) (About 5 - 6 minutes).
Stir in the lime juice and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute then remove from heat.
To serve cut cake into 4 inch squares, one per person. Place on dessert plate with one rolled scoop of vanilla icecream. Pour a little lime sauce over icecream and half of the slice of cake. Decorate with lime zest to garnish.