Heat the oven to 180C, 160C fan, gas 4. Grease 2 x 18cm cake tins and double line the bases and sides with baking parchment

Heat the milk in a pan until very hot (but not boiling) then stir in the bicarbonate of soda, leave to cool. Mix the flour and baking powder in a bowl and leave aside. Mash the bananas with a potato masher until smooth, set aside

Beat the butter and 250g of the sugar until creamy and pale. Gradually beat in the eggs (add a little of the flour if it looks like it might curdle). Add the vanilla extract then fold in three quarters of the flour. Fold in the milk mixture and mashed banana in 2 additions, followed by the remaining flour. Divide between the two cake tins, flatten the top and put in the lower shelf in the oven, bake for 35-40 mins or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Once cool enough to handle remove from the tins to a wire rack to cool completely

Meanwhile, blend the strawberries in the food processor until smooth, press through a sieve to get the juice and discard the pulp in the sieve

Cut the sponges in half lengthways. Whisk 300ml of the cream and half of the icing sugar with the strawberry juice until just softly peaking. Whisk the remaining cream in a separate bowl until just thick enough to spread

Set one of the sponges on a serving plate, spread with a third of the strawberry cream with a spatula, top with another sponge and repeat with the remaining sponges leaving the top plain. Cover the top and loosely cover the sides with the plain whipped cream - (reserving around 5tbsp to pipe the swirls on top). Sprinkle the 100's and 1000's around the bottom edges of the cake

Put the remaining whipped cream in a small piping bag fitted with a medium open star nozzle and pipe around 12 swirls along the top edge, leaving a little space between each one

Put the remaining whipped cream in a small piping bag fitted with a medium open star nozzle and pipe around 12 swirls along the top edge, leaving a little space between each one

Put the chocolate chunks in a bowl with the remaining 75ml of cream, put in the microwave for a few seconds to melt the chocolate then mix until smooth. Allow to cool slightly then spoon or pipe into the spaces between the cream swirls to create drips down the sides. Sprinkle the chopped nuts on top and set the cherries into alternate cream swirls. Leave somewhere cool to set for 30 mins