This banana chocolate chip cake with peanut butter frosting is outrageously good. And you know what? I’m not a huge fan of cake in general.
This is probably because most cakes are bland, cloying, and lacking in contrasting textures.
They sure are pretty and impressive, though. And sometimes a cake is just necessary for something to feel like a real celebration. Even if you’re just celebrating the fact that it’s the weekend!
So every once in a while I can find the inspiration to create a new cake recipe.
We had some very ripe bananas laying in the fruit basket so I figured a banana cake would be perfect. Because sometimes banana bread just doesn’t hit the spot.
What goes best with bananas? Chocolate and peanut butter of course!
This cake recipe is pretty simple and straightforward. If you’re someone who LOVES frosting, or if you plan to decorate with this frosting, then I would suggest doubling the buttercream ingredients.
Otherwise I think you’ll adore this recipe just like we do!!
More Cake Recipes:
For the cake::
-
2 1/2
cups
(317 grams) all-purpose flour
-
1 1/2
teaspoons
baking powder
-
1 1/2
teaspoons
ground cinnamon
-
3/4
teaspoon
baking soda
-
1/2
teaspoon
fine salt
-
2
sticks unsalted butter (227 grams), at room temperature
-
1
cup
(200 grams) granulated sugar
-
1/2
cup
(100 grams) light brown sugar
-
1
teaspoon
vanilla extract
-
2
large eggs, at room temperature
-
1/2
cup
(113 grams) sour cream
-
4
medium overripe bananas, mashed
-
1 1/4
cups
miniature chocolate chips
For the frosting::
-
2
sticks unsalted butter (227 grams), at room temperature
-
1
cup
(270 grams) creamy peanut butter
-
1
teaspoon
vanilla extract
-
1/8
teaspoon
fine salt
-
2 1/2
cups
(313 grams) powdered sugar, sifted
-
Chocolate chips, for garnish, optional
For the cake:
-
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 8-inch round cake pans.
-
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
-
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add in the vanilla and then the eggs, one at a time. On low speed beat in half the dry ingredients then the sour cream and bananas. Beat in the remaining dry ingredients. Stir in the chocolate chips.
-
Divide the batter among the prepared pans. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the cakes are golden brown and pull away from the edges. Cool in the pans for 15 minutes before flipping onto cooling racks to cool completely. Refrigerate until ready to frost. The colder the cake, the easier it will be to frost. You can even pop the cake in the freezer for 30 minutes to chill.
For the frosting:
-
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and peanut butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla, salt, and powdered sugar and continue beating until the frosting is smooth and fluffy.
To assemble:
-
Place one cake layer on a cake turntable or cake stand. For a smooth and even frosting coverage, use a pastry bag and open tip to pipe a generous ring of the frosting around the top edge of the cake layer. Fill up the frosting ring with additional frosting, spreading to create an even layer. Place the other cake layer upside-down on top of the frosting so that the top of the cake is nice and flat. With an offset spatula, spread the remaining frosting evenly all over the cake, smoothing the edges. Place chocolate chips along the bottom of the cake for garnish. Serve or cover and store in the fridge for up to 2 days. Let come to room temperature for an hour before serving.
This recipe was originally published in 2014 and recently updated with new photos, weight measurements, and improved directions. Photos by Jess Larson.
This cake looks awesome!! I love the banana/peanut butter combination 🙂 I happened to like her video too 🙂
I haven’t seen that trailer, but it sounds absolutely insane.
You know what, I have NO idea if she would like she cake but, if she doesn’t:
1. She is crazy. But it sounds like the trailer establishes that.
2. I’ll GLADLY eat her share!
Pinned! Happy Weekend! 🙂
Love the banana, chocolate and peanut butter combo, so irresistible!
I don’t think celebrities eat cake…unless they’re being paid to do so! More cake for us ‘normal folk ‘! Loving the mix of flavours
Can I just bake the cake in one cake pan, then later cut it into half? If that so, do you know how long should I bake?
No, the batter needs to be divided in half and cooked in two pans. All the batter in one pan would be way too much and would likely overflow and/or underbake in the center and burn on the outsides.
Is there a way to make this a little healthier? Maybe, somewhat, gluten free?
This looks delicious!! Can I bake this in a 9 x 13 pan? or cupcake tins?
MOST DELICIOUS CAKE EVER!!!
We halved the recipe and it turned out amazing!!
Would this work as cupcakes? Sounds delish!
Can you make it in a 9 x 13 pan?
I tried this as cupcakes and it turned out amazing! Now I’m making it for my nephews birthday. Thanks so much!
Wonderful! Happy birthday to your nephew 🙂
Hi! Tried the recipe and fell inlove(: I’m now wondering how they do as cupcakes. Same Moist texture? And are cup liners okay, do they stick to them?
It should work just fine as cupcakes! I actually have a video coming out on the 13th about preventing cupcake liners from sticking, so stay tuned 🙂
Can you substitute anything for the unsalted butter? Margarine perhaps? i never use butter :((
This sounds great! I’m going to make it for our church dinner/auction tomorrow night.
I made this layered for my husbands birthday cake. 40 minutes was a bit too long for the round pans (cake was dense and dried out after cooling) I also had to double the frosting to make enough to frost the whole cake.
I made it in a 9×13″ to take to work and it worked sooo much better …LOVE this recipe <3
Very nice recipe! I love chocolate cake with any combination.
Do you have the nutritional value of Banana Chocolate chip cake with peanut butter frosting. Thank you
Arlene
Even i am also not a fan of cake but this banana choco chip cake with peanut butter frosting completely flattered me. I can say this is going to be my mother’s day treat to my mom/. Thanks for inspiring me.
gorgeously unique dessert recipe, banana chocolate always works it’s just not as celebrated as peanut chocolate, thank you!
Hi. Can’t wait to try this cake, only problem is that we don’t have sour cream available here in Pakistan. Can I substitute sour cream with yogurt instead?
Hi.
Can I make the cake without the frosting (peanut butter) part?
Will it still remain soft and moist?
Thanks in advance.
This the most delicious cake ever! I decided to do this as a treat to my mom when ahe came back from a trip and i do not regret it one bit! I used full fat natural yogurt and it worked like a charm. Its the most moist cake ive ever baked.
There is NO mention of EGGS in the ingredients section at top of recipe, but itvsays to “add eggs one at a time” in the instructions.
PLEASE ADDRESS THIS
THAMK YOU
Recipe says to add 2 large eggs at room temp
.
Halved the cake and frosting recipe and just made one 8 inch round cake. I am not a cake person but loved this! All of my favorite flavors together!
I want to make this cake for my husband’s birthday. I want to make it in 2 12 inch pans that are 2 inches deep, because we have having a large crowd for his party. Would I need to make 4 separate batters to get the rise I want for a two tiered cake? I know I need to bake them for about 42-45 minutes, but was unsure how much batter to make. Any help would be appreciated.
Hi! This looks so delicious delicious! Did you use semi-seeet or milk chocolate chips? THanks!
You can use either! I prefer semisweet.
Hi Tessa, this cake looks so amazing and I can’t wait to make it. Quick question – what kind of peanut butter should we use for the frosting? Will natural peanut butter work? Thanks!
I always use traditional commercial peanut butter when baking, natural peanut butter tends to create problems!
BUT How MANY EGGS?!?!? Omg in the middle of baking this and it didn’t say how many eggs … pls help ASAP !!!!!
Can you make the cakes and frosting in advance? How would you store them?
Would love to print the recipe off so I can make it but this site won’t let me print it…
this is the best banana cake ever!!! I have made it so many times and everybody loves it!!! Thank so much for the recipe!
I’ve made this a few times now and it is always a winner. Probably one of my favorites. The cake is moist and the frosting adds just the right amount of sweetness.
I followed the recipe exactly and this was the very first from scratch cake that came out perfectly! It’s SO delicious! Thank you so much for this recipe and I can’t wait to share the cake with my family and friends!
Can you give the weight amount for the bananas please? It’s hard to know exactly how big or small ‘medium’ size is.
Mines is very bread like, like a banana bread. I was wondering if that is the same results so I know if I did it correctly
Is there a trick to stop the chocolate chips from sinking to the bottom please?
Shake them in a baggie with just about a tablespoon of flour to coat them. Do not add the remaining flour. Just the coated chips
Have you tried this with white chocolate chips?
For anybody who has made this in a 9 X 13 pan, how long did you bake it for? Thanks!
For anybody who has made this in a 9 X 13 pan, how long did you bake it for? Thanks!
This cake was fantastic! The peanut butter, banana, and chocolate chips were a great combination. The recipe worked out exactly as it should, cake rose and bake time was correct. I had to bake mine in a 9×9 pan because I did not have 8×8 and it took 35 minutes to bake (same temperature). The taste of the cake was perfect, not too sweet, and I would definitely make this again.
De-licious! I substituted Becil margarine, and I baked it in muffin tins at 375 for 20min. Probably should have left it at 350 for that amount of time!
Just wondering if I could freeze them?
Made this cake with the included PB buttercream frosting and it was so so good!!
Hi! Excited to make this for my husband’s birthday today, but I’m unsure if my bananas qualify as “medium”. Approximately how many cups of mashed banana should I add? I don’t want to add the incorrect amount of moisture to the cake.Thanks!
Hi! This looks great. If i’m making this cake dairy free, is there an alternative for the sour cream?
Thanks!
Can I use regular size chocolate chips in the cake batter?
Pretty Sweet.
I’ve made this cake 3 times. The first time because the flavors all fit the bill as favorites for my mother in law. The last two times I’ve made it was per a strong request as it is now my daughter in laws favorite cake ever!!
It is indeed very moist and flavorful. The peanut butter icing is wonderful and pairs well with this cake. I made peanut butter frosting at a very popular cup cake shop and this is much better and people used to buy their frosting by the cup with a spoon. This recipe is better.
It is a great cake. I’m glad to have this recipe in my pocket for future use when I need to serve a decadent cake.
Can I use 6 inch pans for this?
Just wonder if I am able to freeze this cake after it is assembled?
Have you made this recipe with gluten free flour?
I actually made this cake yesterday. I’m afraid this recipe is a mishmash of elements that don’t coexist in harmony flavour wise. The sponge is way too rich for a frosted cake, and the chocolate chips really unnecessary. The peanut butter frosting is so excessive and would be more balanced out with genoise sponge layers instead. Or just a plain sponge cake. This cake is overall too sweet and rich and lacks finesse. Of course not everybody likes the same thing. My review is for those who like balanced flavours that aren’t competing with one another, and also for those who don’t want their arteries clogged for such little reward.
Hi Tessa,
Can I use plain yoghurt instead of sour cream?
Thanks.
Look’s sooo good yummmmy!! I’m going to try and make this on my birthday 12-26 thank you for the recipe xoxo thank ya love ♡SweetApplePie♡