Double Chocolate Banana Cake

We always seem to buy more bananas than we can eat, even though we are big banana eaters. Bananas tend to ripen even faster in the summer heat, so we always have some speckly ones to use up before they go to waste. We have some go-to recipes for banana cakes and muffins, which are delicious, but I am always looking for new ones to try something different. Here is a really quick, easy, and chocolatey one I found.

Double Chocolate Banana Cake
2 cups all-purpose (plain) flour
1 cup granulated (white) sugar
2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup banana, mashed (1 large or 2 small)
1/3 cup butter or hard margarine, melted
1 Tablespoon lemon juice*
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350◦F. Grease or line a 9x9 inch or 8x8 inch square baking pan.
In a large bowl, combine the first five dry ingredients. Make a well in the center. Pour remaining ingredients except for chocolate chips into the well. Beat well with a fork for two minutes, or until well combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (an 8x8 inch cake may take a bit longer to bake). Dust with confectioner's sugar before serving, if desired.
*NOTE* I didn't have lemon juice, so I left it out and added a bit more vanilla extract and a splash more milk. This worked out fine.

“Easy Double Chocolate Banana Snack Cake.” http://www.dairygoodness.ca/recipes/easy-double-chocolate-banana-snack-cake. Dairy Goodness, n.d. Thursday, July 5, 2012.