And customers are being invited to add a shot of espresso to the banana-chocolate Vivanno.

ECONOMIST: Innovative things to do with a banana

As for desserts, you cant go wrong with the warm chocolate date cake in coconut cognac sauce with iced espresso yogurt, or the chocolate banana samosa with candied kumquats and caramel coriander ice cream. l Bottino -- 246 Tenth Ave.

FORBES: Fact and Comment

We picked out a range of flavors, including the "grasshopper" (chocolate cake filled with fudge and topped with mint cream-cheese frosting, cake crumbs, chocolate chips and a buttercream rosette) and the "Elvis" (vanilla cake filled and frosted with banana-cream-cheese icing, with a swirl of peanut butter and peanut-butter chips).

WSJ: Testing Mail-Order Cupcakes