Step 1: 

Get all your ingredients ready, and, if possible, take the butter out of the fridge 1h before.

Step 2:

Cream butter and sugar in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment (or by hand) until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes at medium speed. Scrape the side of the bowl, making sure all the sugar gets incorporated into the butter.

Step 3:

With the whisk still running, slowly add the eggs, and half of the flour to avoid curdling.

Step 4:

Add the rest of the flour, the vanilla, bicarbonate and mashed banana.

Step 5:

Butter a loaf tin and pour in the batter leaving 1 inch to the top (this recipe will do for 2 x 2lb loaf tins).

Step 6:

Cook at 170C for 25 minutes, or until a skewer into the thickest part comes out dry. While the banana bread bakes, make the butter cream icing. Beat the butter and half of the sugar in a bowl. Add the remaining sugar and just enough milk to loosen everything up to soft peak consistency.

Step 7:

Put the icing in a piping bag and pipe onto the cooled banana bread.

Step 8:

 Garnish with toppings of your choice.