Banana Chocolate Chip Cake

Banana Chocolate Chip Cake has moist banana cake layers, loaded with chocolate chips, and covered in a fluffy peanut butter frosting and nutella ganache. Peanut butter banana cake has epic chunky monkey flavors for a sweet, salty legendary dessert!

Ingredients Needed

For the banana cake recipe, I used my tried and true moist banana layer cake recipe , also used for Banoffee cake (banana and toffee!), because I prefer a lighter crumb, rather than a dense cake.

Miniature chocolate chips are added to the cake batter. Mini chips work better in cake layers because they disperse throughout the cake, without sinking to the bottom.

• Ripe bananas – About 3-4 needed to equal 1 1/2 cups mashed
• Lemon juice – Add a little acidity and activates the baking soda
• Flour – regular flour or gluten free all-purpose (Cup 4 Cup brand is recommended)
• Baking powder and baking soda
• Unsalted butter
• Sugar
• Vanilla extract
• Banana extract – This is optional, but it adds a nice banana flavor without having to add more bananas, weighing down cake.
• Miniature chocolate chips – Originally Peanut Butter Banana Cake recipe was published as Chunky Monkey Cake, without the chocolate chips. They may be omitted for original recipe.

How to Make Chocolate Chip Banana Cake

To make the best banana chocolate chip cake all the ingredients should be at room temperature. Room temperature butter, eggs, and dairy ingredients bind together more uniformly, creating a smoother, lighter, and better incorporated batter.

Also, blend the butter with sugar thoroughly. Don’t stop mixing once they are blended. Beat a few minutes longer and it will transform into a light, fluffy mixture.

1. First mash the bananas with lemon juice.
2. Whisk together dry ingredients. Prepare cake pans and set aside.
3. In a large bowl beat together butter and sugar until very pale, light, and fluffy. Add egg yolks and extracts.
4. Add flour mixture, alternating with buttermilk, to the creamed butter and sugar. After flour and milk has been added, mix in bananas.
5. Beat egg whites separately until stiff. Fold gently into cake batter, then add chocolate chips.
6. Bake until a toothpick inserted comes clean. Allow banana layer cakes to cool completely before frosting with peanut butter buttercream.

Fluffy Peanut Butter Frosting 

A chunky monkey cake wouldn’t be complete without peanut butter! Peanut butter banana cake uses a fluffy peanut butter frosting, spread throughout, to make the ultimate sweet and salty combo!

Peanut butter mixes with butter to achieve a buttercream flavor. Powdered sugar adds the sweetness, while heavy cream makes the frosting airy.

Most peanut butter butter frostings are dense and heavy. To keep this one lighter, heavy cream whipped for a longer time, aerates the frosting.

Regular milk make be substituted, but the frosting won’t have as light as a texture. 

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Nutella Ganache 

If you are a fan of chocolate, the nutella ganache spread on top a peanut butter banana cake is a must!

The ganache comes together in minutes using a microwave, but can also be prepared on the stove top. Before pouring onto the cake, make sure the ganache has cooled slightly so it’s thickly pourable.

If you don’t have nutella on hand, or don’t want to buy another ingredient, chocolate ganache may also be used. Halve the recipe from Ding Dong Cake’s ganache. Either leave in the salt for a salted ganache, or omit.

More Frosting Options

Banana Chocolate Chip cake can be layered and topped with a variety of frostings if peanut butter isn’t your thing.

Try other frostings, such as:

• Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting
• Chocolate Buttercream
• Vanilla Buttercream
• Banana Cream Filling
• Homemade whipped cream from Gluten Free Angel Food Cake recipe

Can I Freeze this Cake? 

Yes! This cake may be frozen assembled, to thaw later and serve, freeze banana cake layers, or save individual pieces to enjoy later.

1. Assembled Cake: Make the cake, peanut butter frosting, nutella ganache, and assemble the cake. Place the cake in the freezer, unwrapped. Once the cake has frozen, wrap securely with plastic wrap. Remove wrap to thaw for 48 hours in the refrigerator. Allow cake to come to room temperature before serving.
2. Pieces: Wrap individually cut leftover slices in plastic wrap. Freeze until solid and then place slices in a ziplock freezer bag. Thaw slices on counter for 1 hour or in the refrigerator for a few hours. Enjoy at room temperature.
3. Cake Layers: Make the banana chocolate chip cake and freeze separately. Thaw cake layers on counter. The whipped cream frosting and banana filling should be thawed in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Assemble the cake as directed.

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Banana Chocolate Chip Cake

Banana Chocolate Chip Cake has moist banana cake layers, loaded with chocolate chips, and covered in a fluffy peanut butter frosting and nutella ganache. Peanut butter banana cake has epic chunky monkey flavors for a sweet, salty legendary dessert!

4.91 from 10 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 2 hours hours

Servings: 16

Author: Melissa Erdelac

Ingredients

Banana Chocolate Chip Cake:

• ▢ 1½ cups mashed bananas, about 3-4 bananas
• ▢ 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• ▢ 3 cups all-purpose flour, or all purpose gluten free flour (I highly recommend Cup 4 Cup gluten free flour for best taste)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ½ tsp. salt
• ▢ ¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• ▢ 2 cups sugar
• ▢ 3 eggs, separated and room temperature
• ▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 teaspoon (optional) banana extract
• ▢ 1½ cups buttermilk, room temperature
• ▢ 1½ cups miniature chocolate chips*

Fluffy Peanut Butter Frosting:

• ▢ 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• ▢ 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 3 cups powdered sugar
• ▢ 4 tablespoons heavy cream

Nutella Ganache:

• ▢ ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons Nutella
• ▢ ¼ cup heavy cream
• ▢ (optional) chocolate chips for decorating

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Instructions

Banana Chocolate Chip Cake:

• Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray three 9 inch cake pans with cooking spray. Line each bottom with a cut-to-size parchment or wax paper circle. Spray tops of paper and set aside. Tip: If you only have two 9" cake pans, bake 2 layers, and store remaining batter covered on counter. Bake 3rd layer in COOLED cake pan.
• In a small bowl, mix mashed bananas with lemon juice, set aside. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
  
• In a large bowl, cream ¾ cup butter and sugar until light and fluffy, at least 3 minutes. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time. Mix in vanilla and (optional) banana extracts.
• Add about 1/3 of the flour mixture to creamed butter / sugar and combine. Alternate with 1/3 buttermilk and mix well. Repeat until all the flour and buttermilk has been mixed in. Mix in mashed banana mixture.
• In a separate clean, dry bowl beat the reserved egg whites until stiff. Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the banana cake batter. Gently fold in remaining 2/3 until no streaks remain. Fold in chocolate chips.
  
• Divide the batter between the prepared pans. Bake 23-26 minutes or until toothpick inserted at center comes out clean. Turn onto wire racks and cool completely.

Peanut Butter Frosting:

• Cream together butter, peanut butter, and vanilla extract until smooth.
• Add the powdered sugar, and beat until combined. Slowly pour in heavy cream, increasing speed to high, and beating for 4 minutes, or until frosting is very light and fluffy.
  

Assembly:

• Put first layer on a serving platter. Tuck wax paper strips under cake t catch any drips. Spread a layer of peanut butter frosting on top. Repeat with other layer.
• If you plan on piping some frosting on top for rosettes, set aside about 1/2 cup.
• Use the remaining buttercream to cover top and sides of cake. Place in refrigerator for 30 minutes while you make ganache.

Nutella Ganache:

• Put Nutella and heavy cream in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, stirring halfway through.
• Remove from microwave and continue to stir until smooth and homogenous. If the ganache isn't smoothly mixing, return to microwave for 10 seconds longer and mix again.
  
• The ganache should be thickly pourable, but if it is too thin, allow it to cool for 10-15 minutes first.
• Pour ganache on top of the cake, allowing some to drip down the sides.
• Refrigerate until ganache is solid, about 15 minutes. Remove from refrigerator and using a star tip for rosettes, pipe remaining buttercream on top, then place a chocolate chip on each rosette.
• Cake is best served at room temperature. Leftovers may keep at room temperature up to 3 days, or refrigerate for longer. Set out for a few hours before serving.

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Equipment Needed

• 9 inch Cake Pans
• Stand Mixer
• Offset Spatula

Recipe Notes

*Originally this recipe was published as a Chunky Monkey Cake, without chocolate chips. They may be omitted for original recipe. 

 

More Frosting Options

Banana Chocolate Chip cake can be layered and topped with a variety of frostings if peanut butter isn't your thing. 

• Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting
• Chocolate Buttercream
• Vanilla Buttercream
• Banana Cream Filling
• Homemade whipped cream from Gluten Free Angel Food Cake recipe

Freezing Instructions: 

This cake may be frozen assembled, to thaw later and serve, freeze banana cake layers, or save individual pieces to enjoy later. 

1. Assembled Cake: Make the cake, peanut butter frosting, nutella ganache, and assemble the cake. Place the cake in the freezer, unwrapped. Once the cake has frozen, wrap securely with plastic wrap. Remove wrap to thaw for 48 hours in the refrigerator. Allow cake to come to room temperature before serving. 
2. Pieces: Wrap individually cut leftover slices in plastic wrap. Freeze until solid and then place slices in a ziplock freezer bag. Thaw slices on counter for 1 hour or in the refrigerator for a few hours. Enjoy at room temperature.
3. Cake Layers: Make the banana chocolate chip cake and freeze separately. Thaw cake layers on counter. The whipped cream frosting and banana filling should be thawed in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Assemble the cake as directed.

Nutrition

Calories: 736kcal | Carbohydrates: 91g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Cholesterol: 103mg | Sodium: 342mg | Potassium: 334mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 67g | Vitamin A: 895IU | Vitamin C: 2.1mg | Calcium: 78mg | Iron: 2.3mg

Course: Cake

Categories: 4th Of July Baking Cakes Desserts Fall Freezer-Friendly Gluten Free Mother's Day Recipes Spring Summer Winter

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