Fudgy Banana Oat Cake

Topping:
1 cup oats uncooked
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
¼ cup margarine or butter

Filling:
1 cup (6 oz) semisweet chocolate pieces (I used chocolate chips)
2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
1 tablespoon butter or margarine

Cake:
1 (18.25 oz) package devil’s food cake mix (I like to use yellow cake mix because the banana flavor comes through better, but the chocolate is good too)
1 ¼ cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 large)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs

Garnish (optional):
Banana slices
Whipped cream

Heat oven to 350. Lightly grease bottom only of 13X9 inch baking pan.

For topping, combine oats and brown sugar. Cut in butter or margarine until mixture is crumbly. Set aside.

For the filling, in a small saucepan, heat chocolate pieces, sweetened condensed milk, and margarine or butter over low heat until chocolate is melted, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; set aside.

For the cake, in a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, bananas, oil, and eggs. Blend at low speed until dry ingredients are moistened. Beat at medium speed two minutes. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. Drop chocolate mixture by 1/2 teaspoonfuls, or so, over batter.
Sprinkle with reserved oat mixture. Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until cake pulls away from the sides of pan (mine didn’t pull away) and topping is golden brown. Cool cake in pan on wire rack. Garnish with banana slices and whipped cream, if desired.