Banana Chocolate Chip Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

Banana Chocolate Chip Cake is moist and tender beyond words! It’s easy to make and so indulgent with three layers of chocolate-speckled banana cake covered with whipped peanut butter frosting.

Here’s something totally delicious and good for celebrating any happy occasion. This Banana Chocolate Chip Cake is super moist and delicious, made with 2 cups of mashed overripe bananas. I make banana bread often – mostly because I love it. But also because my husband buys bananas weekly to eat with his morning oatmeal. He only likes them when they’re a little green. (Which, I will never understand.) And once they develop brown spots, they’re left to languish on the countertop. I often use the leftover bananas to make my favorite Easy Banana Bread. These days, I always swap in mini chocolate chips for the nuts.

That’s what drew me to this recipe. The banana and chocolate chip combo is a true favorite of mine. But add creamy peanut butter flavor to the mix? What more could you ask for. First spotted on Epicurious, I’ve adapted the recipe to fit three 8-inch cake pans. And given it distinctive studded décor simply by lining up chocolate chips on the outside of the frosted cake.

Use Overripe Bananas

Be sure to use very ripe or overripe bananas for the most flavorful cake with a moist crumb and balanced sweetness. But what if you want to make this cake, and don’t have time to wait for bananas to ripen? There are easy ways to ripen bananas in just a few minutes in the microwave, or about 20 minutes in the oven. See the recipe notes for these instructions.

The flavor of this cake is just, outstanding. The cake layers are soft and tender – totally reminiscent of banana bread. But it’s the whipped peanut butter frosting that really puts this cake over the top. It doesn’t have much powdered sugar in it compared to other buttercreams. Yes – it’s sweet. But not as sweet as you might expect!

The Cake Batter

Start by creaming together butter, sugar and a little brown sugar until light and fluffy. Then, add in eggs and vanilla, followed by the dry ingredients, beating on low speed just until blended.

Incorporate mashed overripe bananas and sour cream into the batter, mixing well to combine. You may notice my mashed bananas look really dark in the picture above – and that’s okay! When you mash bananas, you break down their cellular structure, exposing their contents to air. This exposure accelerates the enzymatic browning process that naturally occurs in bananas. While this may not be pretty to look at, it is harmless and does not affect the taste or nutrients.

Finally, gently fold the mini chocolate chips into the cake batter.

Bake in 8″ Cake Pans

Prep three 8-inch cake pans. Grease them and then line the bottoms with parchment circles. Divide the batter between the pans. Then smooth the tops of the batter to ensure an even bake. Place them in a preheated 350°F oven and bake 35-40 minutes. As the cakes bake, the natural sugars from the bananas will work their magic, giving the cakes a beautifully deep brown color.

When the cakes test done with a toothpick, remove them from the oven and let them cool in the pans for about 10 minutes. Then, turn them out onto wire racks, peel away the parchment circles, and cool completely.

Make the Peanut Butter Frosting

Beat together 1 cup of room temperature butter and 2 cups of peanut butter. Use the creamy shelf-stable kind of peanut butter. Add in just 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar and a splash of vanilla. (Or perhaps a dash of bourbon – I’m also a huge peanut butter-bourbon fan.) Whip until smooth, creamy, and fluffy.

Assemble the Cake

Place one cake layer on a cake board or serving platter and generously spread a layer of peanut butter frosting on top. Repeat with the remaining layers, then frost the entire cake. Be sure to reserve about 1 cup of buttercream for a piped border on top.

Add the Chocolate Chip Decors

This part looks more complicated than it is. Begin by ensuring the cake is well-chilled and the frosting is set. Using a soft tailor’s measuring tape as a guide, evenly space chocolate chips around the bottom edge of the cake in 1″ increments. Continue adding rows of chocolate chips, staggering them slightly above the previous row, until the entire outside of the cake is adorned with rows of chips. The measuring tape can help ensure even spacing at the start, but feel free to eyeball it once you get the hang of it. Also, if you’re slow at getting the chips on, the frosting will begin to soften. So you may need to re-chill the cake between rows.

Pipe a Buttercream Border

 Using a large closed star tip (Ateco #849) and leftover peanut butter frosting, pipe a border of swirls around the top edge of the cake. Immediately sprinkle the swirls with mini chocolate chips.

Storage

This cake stores well in an airtight container such as a cake keeper. Or covered in plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator for several days. Just be sure to bring it to room temperature before serving to ensure the flavors and textures are most developed.

This Banana Chocolate Chip Cake with peanut butter frosting is perfect for almost any occasion, whether it’s a casual gathering, a birthday, or even Father’s Day (my dad is going to love this!). It’s certainly a crowd-pleaser, which is a good thing because there’s plenty to go around!

Related recipe: Easy Banana Bread

Banana Chocolate Chip Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

Heather Baird

This Banana Chocolate Chip Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting is both easy to make and irresistibly delicious! You’ll need 4 large overripe bananas for this recipe, which will yield the 2 cups of mashed banana needed for this recipe.Use shelf-stable peanut butter for the frosting.

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

1 hour 30 minutes cool/chill time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 25 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Banana Chocolate Chip Cake Layers

• 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 cups mashed overripe bananas about 4 large bananas
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 2/3 cups mini chocolate chips one 10 oz. bag

Peanut Butter Frosting

• 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
• 2 cups creamy peanut butter
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 2-3 tablespoons mini chocolate chips

Banana Chocolate Chip Cake Layers

• Preheat oven to 350°. Grease three 8-inch round cake pans with shortening or cooking spray and line bottom of pans with parchment rounds.

• In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat sugar, butter, and brown sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating to blend between additions and occasionally scraping down sides and bottom of bowl. Beat in vanilla.

• In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together. Add the flour mixture to the creamed ingredients. Combine on low speed until just incorporated. Add the mashed bananas and sour cream. Beat until just combined. Beat in the mini chips on low speed.

• Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans. Smooth evenly.

• Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick tester inserted near the centers of the cake comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.

Assembly

• Place a cake layer on a serving plate or cake board. Place about 2/3 cup of the buttercream on top; spread evenly on the cake. Add the second cake layer on top of the first; repeat frosting step. Top with the third cake layer and cover the top and sides of the cake with an even layer of frosting. Place leftover frosting (about 3/4 cup to 1 cup) in a piping bag fitted with a large closed star decorator tip (Ateco #849); set aside. Refrigerate cake until firm, about 30-45 minutes.

• Using a tailor’s measuring tape as a guide, evenly space chocolate chips around the bottom edge of the cake in 1″ increments. Continue pressing rows of chocolate chips into the sides of the cake, staggering them slightly above the previous row, until the entire outside of the cake is adorned with rows of chips.

• Using the bag of leftover buttercream, pipe a border of swirls around the top edge of the cake. Immediately sprinkle the swirls with mini chocolate chips.

What to expect: This cake is supremely moist, reminiscent of banana bread but perhaps not as dense. It’s studded with mini chips throughout the sponge which offers a touch more sweetness. The peanut butter frosting is rich but not overly sweet. Overall the cake is flavorful and easy to make.
 
How to Quickly Ripen Bananas

• Oven Method: Preheat oven to 300°F. Place unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes (sometimes longer depending on the level of under-ripeness) until the skins turn completely black. Remove the bananas and cool before handling. Peel and mash bananas for this recipe.
• Microwave Method: Place unpeeled bananas on a microwave-safe plate. Use a knife to poke holes in the skins to allow steam to escape (don’t skip this step or they will explode!). Microwave at 100% power for 30 seconds. The skins should begin to develop dark spots. Continue to microwave in 30 second increments, checking the progress by monitoring the color. Also use a thick towel or pot holder to gently squeeze the bananas. They should be very soft. The bananas are ripened with the skins are completely blackened and feel soft when gently squeezed. 

This recipe was adapted from Epicurious. 

Keyword banana cake, banana chocolate chip cake, birthday cake, brown sugar, easy recipe, father’s day dessert, mashed bananas, mini chocolate chips, peanut butter frosting, semisweet chocolate chips, sour cream