BANANA CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE GANACHE FROSTING

I was inspired to make this recipe after seeing it on Kitchen by the Sea. I am a big fan of whipping together Banana Bread and this felt like an elevated way to do it.

Let's get right into the recipe!

INGREDIENTS

CAKE

2¼ cups Bananas, mashed

1 tbs. Lemon Juice

4½ cups All-Purpose Flour

2 ¼ tsp. Baking Soda

1 tsp. Salt

3 cups Granulated Sugar

18 tbs. Unsalted Butter, softened

5 Eggs, room temperature

2 tbs. Vanilla Bean Paste or 1 tbs. Vanilla Extract

1 tsp. Almond Extract

2 ¼ cups Buttermilk, room temperature

GANACHE ICING

8 oz. Dark Chocolate 70%

6 tbs. Unsalted Butter, softened

1 ¼ cup Granulated Sugar

1 ¼ cup Heavy Cream, cold

2 tsp. Vanilla or 1.5 tablespoons vanilla bean paste

Pinch of Salt

INSTRUCTIONS

CAKE

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a small bowl, mash ripe bananas with lemon juice. Set aside.

3. In another bowl, combine the dry ingredients- flour, baking soda, and salt.

4. In the base of a stand mixer, cream the sugar and butter for 3-5 minutes until pale and fluffy.

5. Add each egg, one at a time, mixing until just combined. Then add the vanilla and almond extract.

6. Next on low, alternate the dry ingredients with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry.

7. Add in the banana until just evenly combined and pour into 3 greased 9” round cake pans. (About 950 g per cake tin).

8. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean (~40 minutes. Baking times vary so keep an eye on yours and test with a toothpick).

9. Remove cake from the oven and cool (They can be put in the freezer directly for an extra moist taste. If you do this, let them cool for 15 minutes and then cover in two layers of plastic wrap).

GANACHE ICING

1. To make the ganache, add chocolate, butter, salt, and vanilla into a bowl. Set asideIn a small pan over medium heat, heat cream and sugar until hot but just before boiling.

2. Pour the heated cream and sugar over the bowl of chocolate and let it set for 1 minute. Stir until smooth.

3. Set in the fridge until cooled but not hard.

4. Ice the cake with the cooled ganache.

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CAKE

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, mash ripe bananas with lemon juice. Set aside.

In another bowl, combine the dry ingredients- flour, baking soda, and salt.

In the base of a stand mixer, cream the sugar and butter for 3-5 minutes until pale and fluffy.

Add each egg, one at a time, mixing until just combined. Then add the vanilla and almond extract.

Next on low, alternate the dry ingredients with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry.

Add in the banana until just evenly combined and pour into 3 greased 9” round cake pans. (About 950 g per cake tin).

Bake until a toothpick comes out clean (~40 minutes. Baking times vary so keep an eye on yours and test with a toothpick).

Remove cake from the oven and cool (They can be put in the freezer directly for an extra moist taste. If you do this, let them cool for 15 minutes and then cover in two layers of plastic wrap).

GANACHE ICING

To make the ganache, add chocolate, butter, salt, and vanilla into a bowl. Set asideIn a small pan over medium heat, heat cream and sugar until hot but just before boiling.

Pour the heated cream and sugar over the bowl of chocolate and let it set for 1 minute. Stir until smooth.

Set in the fridge until cooled but not hard. From there add a layer of chocolate ganache between each layer of cake.

Honestly, I could almost double this recipe to have even thicker layers of chocolate but totally up to you!

Ice the outside of the cake with the cooled ganache.

Slice and enjoy! These are really large slices so I highly recommend smaller pieces so the ratio of chocolate to cake is perfect.

I was seriously obsessed with how good the cake looks in the sunlight and how the chocolate perfectly softens. I will also mention, the chocolate won't start melting and sliding all around unless you leave in the sun for a very long time.

This recipe might just be a new favorite to whip up for any occasion. It is definitely a crowd pleaser. I made this for a girls charcuterie night and everyone loved it.

This cake was honestly perfectly moist and banana flavored. It is a perfect cake for anyone who loves banana bread. You can even add chopped nuts between layers or caramel. Go wild and get creative!

If you plan on saving this recipe for later via Pinterest, feel free to use this image!

Please tag me if you end up making this recipe, I would LOVE to see how it turns out!!