You and your kids can surprise mom on her special day--or any day--with a chocolate, banana, and nut cake just like the one Dora makes for her Mami in the Simon & Schuster book Happy Mother's Day Mami.
Use our Chocolate Fudge Frosting or a (16 oz.) can of frosting and fresh, ripe bananas.
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the bottoms of two 9-inch-round cake pans with wax paper. Kids can help grease the paper and the sides of the pan with a bit of butter or margarine, and then dust with flour.
Step 2
Help kids measure out the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg into a large bowl and then sift the mixture into another large bowl. Let kids stir in the chopped nuts, and then set this dry mixture aside.
Step 3
With the electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter in a large mixing bowl until smooth and light in color. (Parents may want to do the mixing while kids watch.) Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Show kids how to break the eggs into a small bowl. Fish out any shells and add the eggs to the sugar-and-egg mixture one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract.
Step 4
Let kids mash the bananas in a bowl with the buttermilk. With the mixer on low speed, add the bananas to the wet mixture. Add the dry mixture to the wet and continue to beat this batter on low speed until it is just blended.
Step 5
Divide the batter equally between two cake pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 to 30 minutes. Let the cakes cool for ten minutes before turning them out of the pans.
Step 7
Place one cooled cake layer on a serving plate and spread it with frosting. Top with the remaining cake layer and spread the frosting on the top and sides of the cake. Just before serving, kids can decorate the cake with banana slices and nuts.
