chocolate chip peanut butter banana cake
This is a cake for the kid in all of us. It's loaded with goodies.
Too many goodies, actually. (If I could blame my post-blog launch weight gain on any one recipe, it would be this one.) So, friends, I've been working on a lighter version of this recipe with some fun substitutes that I've noted below. I think you'll enjoy it either way. For the fearless, there's also the full-fat, no-apologies version that is, frankly, gorgeous and delicious and worth every calorie. Bikini season is over. Indulge.
Chocolate Chip Banana Cake and Peanut Butter Frosting
Adapted from Bon Appetit
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour (or lighter version, use 1 cup all purpose flour and 2 cups whole wheat flour)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup granulated sugar (or lighter version, substitute splenda blend or more raw demerara sugar)
1/2 cup raw demerara sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature (or lighter version, substitute 1/2c unsweetened applesauce for one of the sticks of butter)
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream (or lighter version, substitute greek yogurt)
2 cups mashed very ripe bananas (about 4 or 5 bananas)
1 bag mini chocolate chips (divided into about 10 oz and about 2 oz for decoration)
2 cups creamy peanut butter (Jif)
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350°. Coat 2 8-inch cake pans with nonstick spray. Line bottom of pans with parchment paper; coat paper with spray, too. Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Using a stand mixer, beat sugar, butter, and brown sugar 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. (If you're using applesauce in place of one of the sticks of butter, add that now.)
Add dry ingredients; beat on low speed just to blend. Add bananas and sour cream; beat just to blend. Fold in mini chips. Divide batter evenly among pans; smooth tops.
Bake cakes until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30-35 minutes. Keep an eye on them so the edges do not burn. Transfer to wire racks; let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto racks; peel off parchment and let cool completely. (Really, completely.)
Using an electric mixer, beat peanut butter, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl until a light and fluffy frosting forms, 2–3 minutes. Be serious about the peanut butter here, guys. Only the fake stuff (such as the red jar of Jif). I love "healthy" peanut butter, too, but it does not make good cake frosting.
Chocolate Chip Banana Cake and Peanut Butter Frosting
Adapted from Bon Appetit
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour (or lighter version, use 1 cup all purpose flour and 2 cups whole wheat flour)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup granulated sugar (or lighter version, substitute splenda blend or more raw demerara sugar)
1/2 cup raw demerara sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature (or lighter version, substitute 1/2c unsweetened applesauce for one of the sticks of butter)
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream (or lighter version, substitute greek yogurt)
2 cups mashed very ripe bananas (about 4 or 5 bananas)
1 bag mini chocolate chips (divided into about 10 oz and about 2 oz for decoration)
2 cups creamy peanut butter (Jif)
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350°. Coat 2 8-inch cake pans with nonstick spray. Line bottom of pans with parchment paper; coat paper with spray, too. Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Using a stand mixer, beat sugar, butter, and brown sugar 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. (If you're using applesauce in place of one of the sticks of butter, add that now.)
Add dry ingredients; beat on low speed just to blend. Add bananas and sour cream; beat just to blend. Fold in mini chips. Divide batter evenly among pans; smooth tops.
Bake cakes until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30-35 minutes. Keep an eye on them so the edges do not burn. Transfer to wire racks; let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto racks; peel off parchment and let cool completely. (Really, completely.)
Using an electric mixer, beat peanut butter, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl until a light and fluffy frosting forms, 2–3 minutes. Be serious about the peanut butter here, guys. Only the fake stuff (such as the red jar of Jif). I love "healthy" peanut butter, too, but it does not make good cake frosting.
Place 1 cake layer on a platter. (The banana holds a lot of heat, so be sure the cake layers are absolutely cooled or the frosting will melt. I broke this rule every single time I tested the recipe and ended up with a huge glop of melty frosting, which is not all bad, but it is ugly.)
Spread 1 1/4 cups frosting over. Carefully place second cake layer on top. Cover top
and sides of cake with remaining frosting. Garnish with remaining mini chocolate chips.
This cake is best served at room temperature (not too warm or cool). It can be made a day or two in advance. Refrigerate the cake to store, then let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before serving.
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