Monochrome Banana Cake

Preheat oven 150°C (fan focred) and line three 15cm round cake tins with baking paper.

Using a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until pale. Add and combine eggs one at a time. Add Vanilla Extract and mashed bananas and combine.

In a heat proof jug, microwave milk and add Bicarbonate Soda (it will froth up). Mix into banana mixture. Sift in flour and Baking Powder and fold until just combined (it's important not to over mix).

Pour mixture into prepared cake tins and bake for 40 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.

Over a double boiler, mix sugar and egg whites together until sugar is dissolved. To test, rub a little mixture between your fingers. If it is no longer grainy, it is ready.

Using a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, beat the egg syrup until it forms a meringue state with stiff peaks (at least 10 minutes on high speed).

Add butter a few cubes at a time and mix until mixture comes together to form a buttercream. The mixture may appear clumpy at first - this is normal. Keep mixing and it will become smooth.

Weight about 400g of buttercream and mix in Choc Espresso Flavour for Icing. Weigh another bowl of about 400g of buttercream and mix in Salted Caramel Flavour for Icing. Mix Vanilla Extract into remaining buttercream for piping.

Once cakes are cool, use a large serrated knife or cake level to carefully trim the tops of the cakes to ensure they are level.

Place one layer of cake in the middle of a plate or cake board. Spread a generous amount of Salted Caramel buttercream on the cake. Add a second layer of cake and spread a generous amount of Choc Espresso buttercream on the cake. Add the third and final layer of cake. Spread a thin layer of Salted Caramel buttercream on top and around the assembled cake and smooth the edge using an offset spatula or scraper. Place cake in fridge for 30 minutes.

For the piping buttercream, add a few drops of Black Food Colour Gel into the Vanilla buttercream and mix well to get a light grey colour. Put a small amount into the piping bag and pipe around cake. Squeeze any left over grey buttercream back into the bowl and add more Black Food Colour Gel to create a darker shade of grey. Pipe around cake. Repeat for a third, darker shade of grey.

Using any leftover buttercream and a large circle tip, pipe buttercream kisses on top of cake and decorate with edible decorations.