Chocolate Chip Banana Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

4.88 from 8 votes

This chocolate chip banana cake with peanut butter frosting starts with a super moist banana cake. it’s the ultimate peanut butter banana treat.

Hi there! It’s Fiona from Just So Tasty!

Do you love peanut butter as much as I do? If yes – then today’s a great day. Because today I’m sharing this chocolate chip banana cake with peanut butter frosting. The moist banana cake is flavorful and filled with mini chocolate chips. Then it’s frosted with peanut butter frosting – and decorated with Reese’s Peanut Butter cups, chocolate chips & chocolate drizzle.

The banana cake has a delicious mellow flavor that pairs perfectly with the salty peanut butter and sweet chocolate chips. And since we’re making it in a 9×13 inch pan, it feeds a crowd and it’s simpler than making a layer cake.

Can Cake Batter be Frozen?

Not all cake batters can be frozen, though. If a cake batter is leavened with whipped egg whites, like a chiffon or sponge cake, the freezing process will ruin the batter.

Creaming method cake batters, or quick bread batters that employ oil as the fat, freeze beautifully.

Can You Use Cake Flour Instead of All Purpose Flour?

To substitute cake flour for all-purpose flour use 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour for every cup of all-purpose flour.

The recipe idea actually started because I had a bunch of brown bananas. (I never finish bananas before they go brown – but it’s the perfect excuse to bake.) I thought about making Banana Cupcakes, but I was craving peanut butter.

And nothing goes better with peanut butter than chocolate.

So – this chocolate peanut butter banana cake was born.

The cake is perfectly moist and flavorful for a few main reasons:

We’re using a combination of brown sugar and granulated sugar. The brown sugar actually adds moisture, and a delicious caramel undertone in baking.
Bananas sweeten the cake naturally, and make the cake extra moist.
Then sour cream and buttermilk give the cake a super soft crumb.

The batter is thick – so make sure your butter, eggs, sour cream and buttermilk are room temperature before getting started for easier mixing.

Why Do Cakes Fall?

If there is too little moisture in a cake, it can fall in the center.

However, too much moisture can also affect a cake.

Cakes can sink because of too much leavening or, not enough leavening.

Cakes cook from the outside in, and therefore sometimes a cake can look done on the outside, however it’s still under cooked or raw in the middle.

When this happens, the raw batter sinks into the cake creating a hole.

Over-mixing strengthens the gluten structures too much and creates more air which causes the cake to rise and then fall again.

Opening and closing the oven dramatically affects the overall cooking temperature which prevents the cake from cooking evenly and can cause it to sink.

After the cake is done baking and fully cooled, it’s time to frost. The peanut butter frosting is creamy, smooth, and not overly sweet. Depending on how much frosting you like, you might have a little leftover. But I don’t think you’ll get complaints about extra frosting….

Can You Freeze Peanut Butter Frosting?

Leftover frosting can be eaten with a spoon kept in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Or you can freeze it for up to 1 month.

Just leave the frosting at room temperature until softened.

To decorate I used Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, a handful of mini chocolate chips and a drizzle of melted chocolate. The toppings make the cake feel a little fancier – so they’re perfect for dressing it up and adding more peanut butter chocolate deliciousness.

So if you have leftover bananas – and love peanut butter – this chocolate chip banana cake with penaut butter frosting is definitely for you!