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Banana Chocolate Chip Cake

Layers of moist banana cake dotted with chocolate chips and frosted with the creamiest chocolate buttercream - this banana chocolate chip cake is pure heaven. It's incredibly flavorful thanks to the bananas, but not overly sweet either. This recipe can also be adapted and made in a 9x13 inch pan if you prefer. 
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword Banana Chocolate Chip Cake, Banana Layer Cake
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 35 minutes
Cooling 3 hours
Total Time 4 hours 35 minutes
Servings 12 slices
Calories 782kcal

Equipment

  • 2 9-inch cake pans see recipe notes for alternatives

Ingredients

Banana Chocolate Chip Cake

  • 2 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil canola oil works too
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup brown sugar packed, light or dark works
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3 large eggs room temperature
  • 1 ¼ cup mashed bananas about 3-4 brown bananas, measure after mashing
  • 1 ½ cups buttermilk see notes for a substitution
  • 1 cup mini chocolate chips

Chocolate Frosting

  • 1 ¼ cup unsalted butter softened
  • ¾ cup cocoa powder
  • 3-4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 3-4 tablespooons whipping cream or milk

Instructions

Banana Chocolate Chip Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 350F (180C or 170C fan forced).
  • Line the bottom of two 9-inch cake pans (see recipe notes for pan alternatives) with rounds of parchment paper. Lightly grease the sides of the pans.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
  • In a very large bowl, beat together the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until there are no lumps of brown sugar or butter (about 1 minute). Then beat in the oil.
  • Add in the vanilla extract and beat in the eggs 1 at a time, turning off the mixer and scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as you go.
  • Turn off the mixer and whisk in the mashed bananas.
  • With the mixer on a low speed, beat in about ⅓ of the dry ingredients.
  • Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Then beat in about ½ of the milk.
  • Turn off the mixer. Whisk in about ⅓ more of the dry ingredients followed by the rest of the milk.
  • Then whisk in the rest of the dry ingredients. You will see some lumps in the batter from the banana - that is expected and OK.
  • Gently fold in the chocolate chips with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon.
  • Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans.
  • Bake both on the same rack of the oven in the middle for about 35-40 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out with a few crumbs. I typically don't say clean with this recipe, as sometimes the toothpick can come out clean but the middle of the cake is still gummy.
  • Cool the cake layers in the pans for about 20 minutes, then carefully invert and continue cooling on a wire rack.

Frosting

  • If the cocoa and powdered sugar are lumpy, sift them first before getting started.
  • In a large bowl, beat the butter until smooth.
  • Add in 2 cups powdered sugar and beat into the butter starting with the mixer on a low speed.
  • Add in the cocoa, vanilla and salt. Beat into the mixture, again starting with the mixer on a low speed.
  • Beat in the rest of the powdered sugar about ½ cup at a time, alternating with 1 tablespoon of milk/cream until the desired sweetness and thickness is reached.

Assembling & Frosting the Cake

  • Ensure that the cake layers are 100% cooled first.
  • Use a cake leveler or serrated knife to gently saw off the rounded top of each cake layer.
  • Place 1 cake layer on the plate you plan to serve it, top side down. Frost the top with about ¼ to ⅓ of the frosting
  • Place the second cake layer on top, top side down.
  • Frost the sides of the cake with a thin layer of frosting. This is the crumb coat to seal in the crumbs. Place the cake in the fridge for about 20 minutes for the coat to seal. If you don't notice many crumbs in the frosting, you could skip this step.
  • Frost the sides and top of the cake with swirls of frosting.

Notes

  1. Pan Sizes:
    • two 9-inch round cake pans bake for 35-40 minutes
    • three 8-inch round cake pans bake for 25-30 minutes
    • one 9x13 inch (23x33 cm) pan bakes for 50-55 minutes, divide the frosting recipe in half
      • ½ plus 2 tablespoons butter
      • ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons cocoa
      • 1 ½ - 2 cups powdered sugar
      • ½ teaspoon vanilla
      • ¼ teaspoon salt
      • 1-2 tablespoons cream
  2. Bananas: Ensure the bananas are brown and spotty. 
  3. Buttermilk: If you don't have buttermilk, add 1 ½ tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice to a large liquid measuring cup. Fill to the 1 ½ cup line with 1% or 2% milk.
  4. Make Ahead Tips: Cake layers can be made the day before. Cool fully then wrap tightly and store at room temperature overnight. Make the frosting and assemble the cake the next day. Cooled cake layers can be wrapped tightly with plastic wrap, then wrapped in aluminum foil or placed in a freezer bag and frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
  5. Storage: Store cake covered or in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 4 days. 
  6. Nutrition: Details provided are an estimate only and based on 1 slice, assuming the cake is sliced into 12 equal pieces and all the frosting is used. You may be able to get up to 14 slices. 

Nutrition

Calories: 782kcal | Carbohydrates: 107g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 124mg | Sodium: 259mg | Potassium: 323mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 78g | Vitamin A: 997IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 111mg | Iron: 3mg