Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Cake

This Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Cake is a moist and fluffy banana cake with a silky and smooth chocolate ganache frosting. This simple one layer banana snack cake is casual enough for anytime, but also decadent and delicious for a party!

If you love making snack cakes as much as I do, be sure to check out some of my other favorite recipes like Lemon Olive Oil Snack Cake, Avocado Oil Chocolate Cake, Strawberry Snack Cake, or Raspberry Lemon Snack Cake.

chocolate peanut butter banana cake cut into square slices on a white marble table.

A Quick Look At The Recipe

Recipe Name: Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Cake
Ready In: 2 hours 50 minutes
Makes: 8-inch cake (about 9 servings)
Main Ingredients: dark chocolate, banana, peanut butter, all purpose flour
Flavor Profile: layers of natural banana sweetness, nutty peanut butter warmth, and rich chocolate
Dietary Info: gluten free swap available
Difficulty: Easy!
Why You’ll Love It: easy snack cake with chocolate, peanut butter, banana and caramel

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Why You'll Love This Recipe

Rich & Creamy Frosting: If you love rich and creamy chocolatey frosting, then you will love this Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Cake!
Moist & Fluffy Cake: The addition of bananas always makes for an incredibly moist and fluffy banana cake. Make sure to use ripe bananas that are boardering on brown or black color.
Chocolate + Peanut Butter + Caramel: This delicious Peanut Butter Caramel Chocolate Ganache Frosting is creamy, smooth, silky, and it has the addition of both peanut butter and caramel! This decadent chocolate ganache frosting pairs incredibly well with the simplicity of this naturally sweet banana snack cake.
Organic Cake: I use organic ingredients in this banana snack cake. So much better than anything you'd buy at the store, you can choose your favorite organic ingredients when making this recipe at home.

Jump to:

A Quick Look At The Recipe
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Ingredients
Baker’s Tips for Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Cake
How to Make Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Cake
Recipe FAQ’s
More Cake Recipes
Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Cake
The Bake Shop

This Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Cake is a wonderful way to use up overly ripe bananas! Quick, easy, and one layer, this snack cake is going to become a new favorite!

If you are looking for more ways to use up overly ripe bananas, check out some of my other favorite recipes. Try Snickerdoodle Banana Baked Donuts, Coconut Chocolate Chip Banana Bread, Banana Scones with Peanut Butter Glaze, Eggless Banana Raspberry Muffins or Eggless Banana Waffles.

Ingredients

Vegetable Shortening: I use organic vegetable shortening in this cake, but you can also use butter if you prefer. This is a cake I make frequently when I'm out of butter, as you don't need butter for the cake or the frosting.
Canola Oil: Make sure to use organic canola oil. While this is a seed oil, it's the most neutral oil, which makes it best for baking so always buy organic for the highest quality. If you are avoiding seed oils, you can swap it for avocado oil or EVOO too!
Light Brown Sugar: I use homemade light brown sugar for a richer flavor in this organic cake. You can use my homemade recipe or store bought, either works.
Bananas: You want to use overly ripe bananas whenever baking with bananas. When bananas ripen, their starches turn into sugars. This gives them a sweet flavor. This also makes bananas mushy, which is not ideal to eat, but makes them perfect for baking because they can easily be combined into cake batter like this.
Baking Powder: Be sure to sue baking powder, not soda. Be sure to check out my post the Difference Between Baking Soda and Baking Powder for more info on leavening agents.
Caramel Sauce: I make my homemade Homemade True Caramel Sauce for this recipe, which I highly recommend! But, if you want to use store bought, you can.

*For a full list of ingredients and measurements, visit the recipe card below.

Baker's Tips for Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Cake

Always weigh ingredients for the best results.
Take note of the size of your banana, if you have a smaller one you may need a little less baking time. For a larger one you may need a little more as bananas add moisture.
You can use an 8-inch square pan or round pan, I've made this both ways.
For the chocolate ganache frosting, you can use dark chocolate pieces (like I did), dark chocolate chips, or even use a chopped up chocolate bar.
Be sure to store this cake in an airtight container in the fridge because it has chocolate ganache frosting.
Gluten Free — Replace the all purpose flour for 255 grams (1 ⅔ cups) gluten free flour blend.

How to Make Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Cake

dark chocolate and heavy whipping cream in a glass mixing bowl on a white marble counter.

To make the frosting: In a heat proof bowl, melt the dark chocolate and heavy whipping cream together.

chocolate peanut butter caramel ganache frosting being whisked together in a glass mixing bowl.

You can do this in a double boiler, or in the microwave. If using the microwave, only do 30 second intervals and stir between each one to prevent chocolate from burning.

Add in the caramel sauce and peanut butter and stir to combine completely. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let set on the counter for at least 2 hours. Or, you can place in the fridge to speed up process. If you plan to make in the day before, store in the fridge until ready to use.

glass mixing bowl with shortening, canola oil, sugar and light brown sugar on a white marble counter.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch cake pan with parchment paper. To make the batter: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), add the shortening, canola oil, cane sugar, light brown sugar, and vanilla extract.

creamed oil and sugars in a glass mixing bowl with banana chunks and eggs on a white marble counter.

Mix on low until combined and there are no butter chunks. Add the banana and eggs.

ingredients for banana cake in a glass mixing bowl on a white marble counter.

Next add the flour, baking powder, and sea salt in that order.

banana cake batter in a glass mixing bowl on a white marble counter.

Mix on low until combined.

banana cake batter spread into a square cake pan on a white marble counter.

Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan and spread it out evenly.

baked banana square cake on a white piece of parchment paper on a white marble counter.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely in the cake pan. (If you're baking at high altitude, be sure to check the Notes at the bottom of the recipe for high altitude instructions).

peanut butter caramel chocolate ganache frosting in a glass mixing bowl with a spatula on a white marble counter.

If you let the ganache set out at room temperature for just a few hours, you can stir it up with a spatula. If you let it set in the fridge (or overnight), it will probably need to be whipped up using a stand or hand mixer to get it nice and fluffy as it may be too hard to spread out without whipping up first.

square banana cake with peanut butter caramel chocolate ganache frosting spread on top on a white marble counter.

Spread the frosting over the top of the cake.

chocolate peanut butter banana cake cut into square slices.

Cut into 9 slices.

Recipe FAQ's

Can I make the frosting the day before?

Absolutely, since it has to set up, you can prep this a day before if needed. If doing this, be sure to store in the fridge. You will also need to whip up using a hand mixer or stand mixer, as the ganache will harden more in the fridge. Just whip it up until it's fluffy and spreadable before frosting the cake.

Why do you use overly ripe bananas for cake?

When bananas begin to ripen, their starches turn into sugars. This provides a sweeter flavor (not to mention the bananas become softer) which makes them ideal for baked goods, especially cake!

Can I use another nut butter instead of peanut butter?

Yes! Feel free to swap it for almond butter, cashew butter, pistachio butter, or even sunflower butter if you want a nut free dessert. You can omit the peanut butter completely as well if you just want a caramel chocolate frosting.

Can I make this cake gluten-free?

Yes, just replace the all purpose flour for 255 grams (1 ⅔ cups) gluten free flour blend. I used the Namaste Organic Perfect Flour Blend for testing. If you're not using this, be sure to use a 1:1 gluten free flour substitute and weigh the flour for the best results. Don't use a single ingredient flour like almond or oat as this won't give you the best results for cake.

What can I top this cake with?

If you want to add a topping, chocolate chips, peanuts, or banana slices are all a great idea. You can even drizzle a little extra caramel sauce on top too.

How should I store this banana snack cake?

Because this has a chocolate ganache frosting, with heavy cream, it should be stored in the fridge in an airtight container.

chocolate peanut butter banana cake slice on a plate with a bite taken out on a white marble table.

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