The Best Banana Chocolate Chip Cake Recipe

I have been, or can be if you click on a link and make a purchase, compensated via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value for writing this post. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my full Affiliate Disclosure for more information.

Any banana and chocolate fans here? Well, I’m sharing the best banana chocolate chip cake recipe that anyone can make! I recently had a client request a super moist banana bread type cake with chocolate chips AND Nutella buttercream! Sounds delicious right?! Can’t go wrong with bananas and chocolate. And Nutella is always yummy addition to any dessert, am I right or am I right?

So of course I had to deliver! Add a decadent semi-sweet chocolate drip and a mountain of her favourite chocolate bars then we can call it a day!

Want to make something other than banana bread with super-ripe bananas? Make this cake instead! It’s a simple, from-scratch recipe to follow (making recipes from scratch isn’t always so hard!).

ADDING CHOCOLATE CHIPS TO YOUR CAKE

Sometimes you’ll find when you add chocolate chips to a cake, it sinks to the bottom. Here’s an easy trick to help avoid that! Take some of the flour from the recipe and stir it into a bowl with your chocolate chips! Coating the chocolate chips helps them stick to your batter, instead of sinking to the bottom of it. Please note that this might not prevent it completely, but it’ll help! Another trick is to try using smaller chocolate chips. Why? Because they’re not as heavy! 🙂

NEED A BUTTERMILK SUBSTITUTION to make this cake?

This recipe calls for buttermilk. But if you don’t have any buttermilk, you can make your own! Yes, make your own! All you need is whole milk and lemon juice. Just add 2 tbsp (30g) of lemon juice to 1 ½ cups (325g) of milk and mix them together. If you’re making your own buttermilk, start with this step and set it aside.

cake BATTER UP!

In the bowl of your stand mixer, add both white and brown sugars and butter. Beat these ingredients with a paddle attachment for 2-3 minutes – until light.

Add the eggs, vanilla, salt, and baking soda, and mix until smooth.

Adjust to low speed, then add your flour in 3 additions (alternating with milk, starting and ending with flour as per usual). Add the mashed bananas and flour-coated chocolate chips! Mix until incorporated.

Divide between your cake pans, and bake for about 25 min, or until the toothpick comes out clean.

Make sure the cakes are completely cool before assembling your cake.

adding nutella to your cake!

In between each layer of cake, I spread a thick layer of Nutella buttercream (as requested by my client). I just add as much Nutella as I want to a vanilla buttercream – until I’m happy with the Nutella flavour.

CHOCOLATE DRIP?! HELP!

Lord knows I’ve struggled with drip cakes! Whether it’s too thin and drips ALL the way down to the cake board, or too thick and doesn’t drip enough 😐 After many years, yes years, I finally got it!

For the chocolate drip, I use equal parts semi-sweet chocolate and heavy cream. Combine chocolate and cream in a small bowl, stir with a spoon to combine. Microwave for 20 seconds and stir. Then microwave in 10-second increments and stir, until chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Normally 40 seconds total works for me.

After your drip is made, it is too hot and runny to apply to your cake. I usually wait about 7-10 minutes (stirring the chocolate every couple of minutes to avoid skin forming). If you want to check if it’s ready, take a tiny spoonful and drip it on the BACK of your cake. Let’s face it, every cake has a back :p – ie. the side that you like the least!

If the test drip is to your liking, then it’s ready! Pour the drip into your piping bag (if that’s your preferred drip method).

After I’m done applying the drip, I normally pop my cake back in the freezer for 5 minutes right away. It helps the drip set faster, and there’s less chance your chocolate will keep dripping until it can’t drip no more!

more, more, and more chocolate cake decoration ideas!

Rosettes are always a nice touch to a cake in my opinion. You can leave them as is, or add sprinkles, add chocolate, add gold leaf, etc. So I piped those around the top of the cake.

I asked my client what chocolate they like, and bought them in snack sizes. I fit as much chocolate as I could on top of the cake (the more the better!). Always use food-safe gloves when handling chocolate. No one wants to see your fingerprints on the chocolate haha. Plus the chocolate can melt in your fingers.

adding a golden touch to your cake

I also added a few touches of edible gold leaf around the cake with a small brush (another nice and elegant touch – I think I’m obsessed with gold leaf!). I have this brush set from Wilton and it definitely comes in handy! And that was it! My client was thrilled with the result – AND taste!

Tried this recipe? Comment below and let me know how it turned out!

Be sure to sign up for our mailing list so you’ll never miss a post like this one! I’ll even send some exclusive content every now and then!

Happy baking and munching!

xo

Mich

Banana Chocolate Chip Cake Recipe with Nutella Buttercream

Yield: 8″ Cake

Ingredients

Banana Chocolate chip Cake

• 1 ½ cups Buttermilk (300g)
• ¾ cups Butter (170g) – room temperature
• 1 cup Light Brown Sugar (150g)
• 1 cup Granulated Sugar (150g)
• 3 Large Eggs (150g)
• 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract (15g)
• 1 tsp Salt (7g)
• 1 ½ tsp Baking Soda (11g)
• 3 cups All-Purpose Flour (500g)
• 3 ripe Bananas
• 1 cup Chocolate Chips (175g)

nutella Buttercream

• 454g Unsalted Butter – room temperature
• 1 1/2 Cups Icing Sugar (160g)
• 1/4 Cup Whipping Cream (45g)
• 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
• Pinch of salt
• As Much Nutella as you please!

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare 3 8” pans with parchment paper and cooking spray.
2. In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine butter, light brown sugar and granulated sugar. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy.
3. Add the eggs, vanilla, salt and baking soda.
4. Adjust speed to low. Add the flour in 3 additions, alternating with the buttermilk (beginning and ending with the flour).
5. Add the mashed bananas and chocolate chips. Mix until just combined.
6. Divide the batter between your cake pans, and bake for about 25-30 minutes – until toothpick comes out clean.
7. When the cake is cooled completely, assemble your cake with the buttercream – creating a 3-layered cake.
8. Enjoy!

assembling the cake

Start by shaving off the top of each cake with a serrated knife to get an even layer. Then munch on the “toppers” – they can’t go to waste! 

Apply a thin layer of buttercream to your cake board/circle.

Add the first cake layer to the cake board and apply about a 1/4″ of buttercream on top. Spread with a small offset spatula. Repeat with the next layer, then top with the last layer of cake.

Apply a thin coat of buttercream all over your cake with your offset spatula, and smooth with a cake smoother. This is your crumb coat to “capture” all those sneaky crumbs! Refrigerate until set (about 30 min or freeze for 10 min). 

You can leave your cake like this for a “naked cake” look, or add another thin layer for a semi-naked look (as I did for this cake). You can also add a final coat of buttercream.

Check out the video below for a tutorial on masking your cake!

RECIPE NOTES

• Be careful not to overmix and overbake. Mix until combined and check the cake every few minutes after you’ve hit the 20 minute mark in the oven.
• Cake didn’t come out as moist as you wanted? Add a little bit of simple syrup to each cake layer. I usually use a 1:1.25 parts sugar to boiling water for my simple syrup.
• I always recommend using cake strips when baking cakes. It really helps the layers bake more evenly.