It’s an easy cake that tastes similar to banana bread, but with a chocolatey twist.
This recipe uses an easy banana cake recipe with a chocolate peanut butter frosting for a delicious dessert. Best of all, the cake is made in one bowl which makes prep and cleanup so much easier!
An Easy Cake Recipe
Banana, chocolate and peanut butter go so well together in this simple cake recipe.
- A very ripe banana infuses this cake with extra sweetness and flavor.
- A quick frosting is made from melted chocolate, peanut butter and whipping cream which are heated together in the microwave.
- This no-fuss recipe is perfect for celebrations, picnics or potlucks.
- It’s similar to our one-bowl banana bread which is a classic, our strawberry banana bread, and the easy banana bundt cake.
Ingredients In Cake
CAKE BATTER: Cake flour helps to make this cake light and fluffy. Butter, milk, eggs and vanilla are the wet ingredients added to the flour and sugar.
A VERY RIPE BANANA is used to get the best flavor out of this cake. A banana that is full of dark brown pots and is very soft and mushy will infuse flavor into the cake.
FROSTING is made from chocolate, peanut butter and whipping cream. Together they create a tasty frosting that’s topped with chocolate chips.
VARIATIONS Add chopped nuts, use chocolate chunks, white chocolate chips, or top with kid’s favorite candies like M&Ms.
This cake is light and fluffy and perfectly infused with a banana flavor all thanks to a very ripe banana.
How To Make Banana Cake
- Mix the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt according to the full recipe instructions below.
- Add the wet ingredients: softened butter, mashed banana, milk, eggs and vanilla extract.
- Pour into greased pan and bake. Let cool completely.
- Melt chocolate, peanut butter and whipping cream together in the microwave. Spread over the cake. Sprinkle the top with chocolate chips.
This cake tastes best after chilling in the fridge for 30 minutes to let the frosting set. Serve with ice cream or whipping cream.
Recipe Tips
- For quick and easy clean-up use a large bowl to first mix dry ingredients, then add wet ingredients straight in. Combine the ingredients with a hand mixer to save time.
- Mash the banana very well with a fork before adding it to the batter. This should be easy if you’re using a very ripe banana.
- For a smoother frosting, use baker’s chocolate versus chocolate chips. Bakers chocolate is designed to melt smooth and creamy, while chocolate chips are not.
- Substitute chocolate chips for chopped nuts, sprinkles or candy M&Ms for cake topping.
Storing Leftover Cake
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. The cake without frosting will freeze well – it’s possible to make it in advance and store it in the freezer until serving later.
More Dessert Recipes
- Chocolate Angel Food Cake is light and fluffy with whipped cream and fresh berries.
- Strawberry Pineapple Cake is made with fresh strawberries and crushed pineapple. The base of the cake is a lovely pink color.
- Banana Bundt Cake has a lovely moist center that tastes just like banana bread.
- Sprinkle Marshmallow Cake Bars are perfect for kid’s parties.
Did you love this banana cake? Be sure to leave a rating below!
Banana Cake with Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting
Ingredients
- 2 cups cake and pastry flour
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 very ripe banana - mashed
- ½ cup unsalted butter - room temperature
- ½ cup milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting:
- 4 oz bakers chocolate - or 1 cup chocolate chips
- 2 Tbsp peanut butter - or any other nut butter, seed butter
- ½ cup whipping cream
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips - for decoration
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray at round cake pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Mash one very ripe banana with a fork, making it as mushy as possible without lumps.Add the mashed banana, softened butter, milk, eggs and vanilla extract to the bowl.
- Use a hand mixer to combine ingredients together.
- Use a spatula to add the batter to the cake pan. Tap the pan on the counter three times to help remove any air bubbles.
- Bake for 38-42 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when poked in the center (I baked mine for 40 minutes). Let cool 10 minutes.
- Gently remove the cake and place on a rack to cool completely.
Make The Frosting:
- Add the chocolate to a bowl and microwave for 20 second increments, stirring in between. Once the chocolate is melted add in the peanut butter and stir together.
- Now add the whipping cream and mix as much as you can. The chocolate will start to harden because the whipping cream is cold.
- Add the mixture back to the microwave for another 20 seconds. Stir together to see if it's reached the desired frosting consistency. If it hasn't, heat for another 20 seconds.
- Spread frosting onto the cake with a spatula. Sprinkle the top with chocolate chips. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to let the frosting chill and harden. Once chilled, you can slice, serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is an estimate and is per serving.