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A banana cake with chocolate frosting on a plate.

Banana Cake with Chocolate Frosting

A lusciously moist, spice-kissed banana cake with chocolate frosting is the simplest recipe that always manages to impress!
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 10
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 318
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Cake
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup dark brown sugar
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
  • ⅓ cup unsalted butter , or vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs , lightly beaten
  • 1 ½ cups mashed bananas (about 3 bananas)
  • ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt , or regular plain yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the Frosting
  • ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • ¼ cup powdered sugar , sifted
  • splash warm water , if needed

Method
 

Make Cake:
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F, and place a rack in the center. Line a 9-inch cake round with parchment or use a bundt pan..
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the 2 cups all-purpose flour, ¾ cup dark brown sugar, ¾ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon and ½ teaspoon ground cardamom.
  3. In a separate bowl, mix together the ⅓ cup unsalted butter, 2 large eggs, 1 ½ cups mashed bananas, ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt, and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract. Pour the banana mixture into the flour mixture and fold with a spatula until just combined. Add the sliced almonds.
  4. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until golden brown, about 40-50 minutes.
  5. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn the loaf out of the pan to cool completely.
Make Frosting:
  1. While the cake is cooling, prepare the frosting. Melt the ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips on the stove or in the microwave; then whisk in the ¼ cup powdered sugar. Keep whisking until sugar dissolves. Add a tablespoon of warm water and whisk. Keep adding water until the frosting is smooth and not too thick. (You can decide how thick/not-thick you’d like it.)
  2. When the cake is completely cool, drizzle the glaze on top of the cake, spreading with a spatula to cover.

Notes

  • Bake in an 8-inch pan - For a thicker cake, feel free to bake the batter in an 8-inch cake round.
  • Or make cupcakes. Divide the batter between a lined 12-cup muffin tin to make cupcakes! You will bake these for half the time the cake would need.
  • Use those ripe bananas. The riper bananas are, the better they become for baking, bringing loads of natural sweetness and flavor.
  • Skip the icing - For a super simple cake, simply sift a little powdered sugar over the top of the cake instead of the chocolate icing.
  • Other spices - Play around with the spices here—swap cinnamon for the cardamom, add a pinch of nutmeg, or try adding 1 tablespoon of peeled, grated fresh ginger.