CHOCOLATE BANANA CAKE with THE BEST PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING! This homemade from scratch cake is MOIST, easy to make and slides out of the 8×8 pan perfectly! The peanut butter frosting on top is what I consider the best frosting of all time – my family can’t get enough! If you’re looking for a chocolate birthday cake or holiday gift – make this cake!
The season of gift giving is upon us and what’s a better way to say “I think you’re great, Happy Holidays!” than sending someone the gift of Chocolate Banana Cake With Peanut Butter Frosting?
I think sometimes the gift of homemade food is overlooked when it comes to the holidays. Sure, you can brave the holiday lines at the department store to buy your sister those cashmere gloves you saw her eyeing up, but I can almost guarantee you that giving her a homemade cake will make her feel like the best (and loved) sister of all time! A homemade cake is not only a physical gift, but there’s lots of emotional thought that goes into making it too!
Did you know that psychologists have found that baking for loved ones promote a sense of well being not only for the recipient but for the baker as well? Whenever someone gifts me a box filled with homemade cookies I still get weak in the knees and feel like it’s the most special gift ever!
First, let’s talk about this cake before we get to my favorite peanut butter frosting.
This is a Chocolate Banana Cake. I want to tell you up front it is not “too banana-y”. So if you have someone in the family that isn’t a big banana fan don’t be scared of this cake. The cake is made with semi sweet chocolate chips and cocoa powder so it’s very decadent with chocolate.
The cake is made with 3/4 cup flour which is going to create a super fluffy cake that is going to slide right out of the pan! I always use Bob’s Red Mill products when it comes to making my baked goods truly shine, so I use their All-Purpose Organic Flour for all my favorite cake recipes.
This is a small chocolate cake recipe, fitting perfectly in a 8×8 pan! That means you can eat the whole cake and not feel too bad – just kidding!
And just to take away any worries of getting the cake out of the pan, this cake slides out clean and pretty! Look at it!
But let’s get back to baking. Your cake batter is going to be really fluffy and smell amazing! I have to admit, I might have needed a spoonful of this batter to taste test! 🙂
While the cake bakes for 50 minutes, you can prepare your frosting. This peanut butter frosting is my all time favorite! I’ve stopped trying to mess with other peanut butter frosting recipes because to me this is just perfect. Once the frosting is made, grab some peanuts and crush them – we’ll be using this for decoration on the cake!
Once your cake has cooled for 15 minutes then spread the peanut butter frosting on top. Finally, sprinkle the peanuts all over the cake!
Isn’t this Chocolate Banana Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting beautiful?
It also tastes so good! Make one for your best friend (throw it in a box with some ribbon on it!), and make one for yourself! Enjoy this banana cake with peanut butter frosting recipe!
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Chocolate Banana Cake With Peanut Butter Frosting
PrintIngredients
For the cake:
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
- 2 eggs
- 1 banana - mashed
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup flour
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
For the frosting:
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
To decorate:
- 1/4 cup crushed peanuts
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Grease a 8x8 pan.
- Melt butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat and add chocolate chips, stirring to melt. Set aside.
- Add eggs to large bowl and beat. Stir in banana, brown sugar, vanilla, salt and melted butter/chocolate mixture. Stir well. Add flour and cocoa powder to bowl and continue stirring.
- Spread batter into pan and bake for 50 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes.
For the frosting:
- Put butter and peanut butter in a bowl and mix with electric mixer.
- Slowly pour in your powdered sugar a little at a time. When it starts to thicken, add your milk in and continue to mix. You should keep mixing for about 1 minute until your frosting is fluffy. If it's still thick, add a additional tablespoon of milk if needed.
- Spread frosting across the cake using a spatula to smooth. Spread crushed peanuts on top.
- Cut cake into slices, size depending on your liking You can do 9 big slices, or little cake bites! The cake slides out of the pan beautifully!
Notes
Looking for more chocolate peanut butter recipes?
Chocolate Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies
Chunky Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies
Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Bob’s Red Mill.
Sharon says
This cake looks yummy! Can this be made with a gluten-free flour or a gluten-free flour blend with good results? If so, would any other adjustments need to be made to the recipe? Also, since bananas vary in size, how much mashed banana would be needed? Thanks.
Sues says
I’d be happy if my whole stocking was filled with this cake 🙂
Sandra Shaffer says
I really enjoy baking during the holidays and sharing treats with my neighbors. They are always so appreciative too. Last year I made bread, but you are convincing me try try this perfect sized cake!
Meredith says
This cake looks absolutely delicious! I especially love the chopped peanuts on top!
Diana says
Banana is one of my favourite things to bake with, especially when paired with chocolate and peanut butter. Love this recipe, looks very delicious!
Liz @ I Heart Vegetables says
Chocolate + peanut butter is like my all time favorite combination! This looks so yummy!