Double-layer Banana Chocolate Chip Cake combines miniature chocolate chips speckled throughout and a rich, creamy chocolate frosting covering the cake.
Try some other popular banana desserts, such as the practically famous Banana Cupcakes or these vanilla-custard-filled banana crepes!
Banana Chocolate Chip Cake
This delicious cake combines sweet banana bread and chocolate chips, topped with creamy milk chocolate frosting, a family favorite. Inspired by Sally’s Baking Addiction, it’s adapted from her first cookbook, which includes new cookie recipes. Perfect for banana and chocolate lovers, this cake proves that chocolate and banana are a heavenly match. You can read more about her cookbook here, and grab your own copy here
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Quick Tip
Quickly ripen bananas for this cake by baking them. Place bananas on a parchment-lined tray and bake at 350°F for 7-8 minutes until the skins turn black, flipping if necessary. Let them cool, discard any liquid, and mash for the Banana Chocolate Chip Cake.
Ingredients In Banana Chocolate Chip Cake
- Ripe Bananas: Provide moisture, natural sweetness, and banana flavor.
- Lemon Juice: Enhances the banana flavor and helps maintain color.
- Butter: Adds richness and helps with the cake’s texture.
- White and Brown Sugars: Sweeten the cake; brown sugar also adds moisture and a caramel-like flavor.
- Sour Cream/Yogurt: Adds moisture and creaminess, contributing to a tender crumb.
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances overall flavor.
- Eggs: Provide structure, richness, and help with leavening.
- Flour: The main structure of the cake. (Here’s a video tutorial for how to properly measure flour for this recipe.)
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda: Leavening agents that help the cake rise.
- Salt and Cinnamon: Enhance and balance flavors.
- Chocolate Chips: Add sweetness and texture.
- Buttermilk: Adds moisture, tenderness, and a slight tang to the cake.
How To Make Banana Cake With Chocolate Chips
- Preheat oven and prepare the pan.
- Mix mashed bananas with lemon juice.
- Cream butter and sugars, then add sour cream or yogurt, vanilla, and eggs.
- Combine dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon.
- Alternately add dry ingredients and buttermilk to the creamed mixture.
- Fold in banana mixture and chocolate chips.
- Pour into pan and bake until a toothpick comes out clean.
Storage
More Amazing Cake Recipes
Banana Chocolate Chip Cake
This Banana Chocolate Chip Cake is studded with mini chocolate chips and generously topped with a rich, creamy chocolate frosting.
Equipment
- 2 cake pans 9-inch
- Mixer
Ingredients
Cake
- 1-1/2 cups bananas very ripe, mashed
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar firmly packed
- 1/4 cup sour cream or honey vanilla Greek yogurt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 3 cups flour see note 1
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips
- 1-1/2 cups buttermilk, at room temperature
Milk Chocolate Frosting
- 1-1/4 cups unsalted butter room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder see note 2
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/16 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325℉. Generously grease two 9-inch round cake pans. Line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper (see note 3). Grease the parchment paper and lightly dust the entire cake pan with flour.
- Thoroughly mash the bananas so no chunks remain; I like to mash them quickly by beating with a hand mixer. Measure to get a level 1-1/2 cups mashed bananas and then toss with lemon juice to prevent browning.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, cream together the butter, granulated sugar, and dark brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes. Add in the sour cream, vanilla, and 1 large egg. Beat to combine. Add the next egg; beat to combine. Add the final egg and beat. Stir in the mashed bananas.
- In a separate bowl, add in the spooned and leveled white flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Place the mini chocolate chips in a bowl and add a bit of flour, shake them around the bowl until they are coated in flour. Add the chocolate chips to the other dry ingredients, stir together to combine.
- With the mixer set on low speed, slowly add 1/3 of the flour mixture and then 1/3 of the buttermilk. Mix until just combined, be careful to not over mix. Repeat with the second and third portions of the flour and buttermilk. Mix until just incorporated. Stop mixing as soon as ingredients are combined.
- Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 45–50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. Allow to cool for 15 minutes in the cake pans and then invert the cakes onto a wire cooling rack to finish cooling completely. Do not frost until fully cooled.
- To make the frosting, use a hand-held or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed for 3–4 minutes. Add 3 cups of powdered sugar and cocoa powder and mix on low. Add 3 tablespoons of heavy cream and the vanilla extract. If the frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar, up to 1 cup, until you get the desired consistency. If the frosting is too thick, you can add more heavy cream up to 2 tablespoons. Add in the salt. If the frosting is still too sweet, add a dash more salt.
- If the cakes are domed on top, carefully level them off with a sharp serrated knife or cake leveler. To build the cake, smear a tiny bit of frosting in the center of your cake stand or plate. Next, place the first layer bottom side up. Using a knife or offset spatula, spread the top of the cake evenly with the chocolate frosting. Place the second layer on top, top side up. Frost the top and sides of the cake. If desired, decorate with additional miniature chocolate chips. Slice and serve.
Recipe Notes
Note 1: Make sure to spoon and level the flour measurement. If you scoop a measuring cup directly into a bag of flour, you will pack in too much flour which creates a drier and less-flavorful cake.
Note 2: For best flavor and texture, use Dutch-process, not natural cocoa powder, for the frosting.
Note 3: Make a parchment paper round bottom for the cake pans by following these steps:
- Tear off a sheet of parchment paper slightly larger than the cake pan.
- Fold the parchment paper in half, then fold in half again.
- Fold into a triangle, then fold the triangle in half.
- Hold the triangle against the bottom of the pan from the center outwards.
- Cut the parchment paper along the curve, right where it meets the edge of the cake pan.
- Unfold the parchment paper and press into the bottom of the cake pan.
Nutrition
Serving: 12servings | Calories: 1025kcal | Carbohydrates: 164g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 24g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 128mg | Sodium: 309mg | Potassium: 484mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 105g | Vitamin A: 1120IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 138mg | Iron: 5mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’m really excited to try this cake! Do you use semisweet or milk chocolate chips?
Semi-sweet. Either works great!
I made this as a sheet cake for a birthday this past weekend. I don’t like my icing super sweet, so I used closer to 2 C sugar and added a TBSP of coffee to bring out the chocolate flavor. It was delicious! Thank you so much for the great recipe.
So glad you guys enjoyed! Thanks for your comment Emily! 🙂
Made this last week and it was a HUGE HIT! I used chocolate whipped cream frosting from a different recipe.
The cake caramelized around the edges. Trimmed those off and had them with left over frosting. A sweet snack later for the baker 😉
So happy to hear this was a hit 🙂 And that does sound delicious! 🙂
Cake looks delicious! Do you mind me asking where the cake stand is from? Looking for something just like it.
No not at all! I believe it was from Pier 1, but I did buy it about 4-5 years ago!
It must be popular because it’s still available in stores…snagged one today! Thanks for responding! This cake will be the first thing I use it for!
This cake looks absolutely amazing. The chocolate chips throughout and the milk chocolate frosting!! I love banana and chocolate together!
hey girl- this looks amazing! Yummy!
I’m making this tomorrow night for a brunch potluck on Saturday morning. Do you think I could turn it into cupcakes, for easy sharing?
The cake looks delicious!
I’ve made this cake many times and it always comes out amazing! I want to make it again but add some rum to it, any suggestions as to how?