This Banana Birthday Cake with Chocolate Frosting is the perfect dessert for any celebration! 2 layers of tender banana cake with a fluffy chocolate buttercream and sprinkles!
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I don’t know about you, but in our family homemade birthday cakes were always a huge part of birthday celebrations. This Banana Birthday Cake with Chocolate Frosting was a popular recipe in our family when I was a child and it was a cake I enjoyed for many birthdays!
And of course, like many children, I didn’t appreciate all the effort my mom put in to making us homemade birthday cakes each year until I had children of my own. Now, slaving away over my kids’ birthday cakes is a labour of love, especially when I get to use old family recipes like this one!
Layer Cake Baking Tips:
- Grease and line your baking pans well! Placing a circle of parchment paper at the bottom of each cake tin, as well as greasing the pans with butter and dusting with flour will ensure that your cake layers release easily from the baking pans!
- Rotate the cake pans in the oven half-way through baking! Sometimes ovens have hot spots which can cause one cake layer to be overdone while the other is under-baked. Rotating the layers once while baking with help with this!
- Test with a toothpick! To know if your cakes are done, insert a toothpick into the center of one of the cakes. If it comes out clean, it’s done!
- Carefully level the cake layers! Use a serrated knife to gently trim any high spots on the tops of the cakes so they stack evenly and as flat as possible. I also like to turn the top later upside down for a flat top on the cake, since it’s easy to hide the rounded bottom with frosting!
- Let cool completely before frosting! Frosting a cake that’s still warm will cause the frosting to melt, so be sure to cool the layers completely before frosting.
- Make the cake a day ahead! Baking the cake the day before you need to serve it allows you to refrigerate the layers (wrap them in plastic wrap first!) overnight. Frosting refrigerated cake layers is MUCH easier since the butter in the cake hardens when chilled, making the layers more sturdy.
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How to make an easy birthday cake:
- Keep it simple! An easy no-fail cake recipe like this Banana Birthday Cake is a good one to start with, and this Chocolate Buttercream Frosting recipe couldn’t be easier. Add a few sprinkles and you’re good to go!
- Choose complimentary flavours! Like peanut butter and banana? Try my Banana Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting! Prefer plain vanilla? My Vanilla Bean Birthday Cake is a simple masterpiece.
- Think outside the box! Maybe cupcakes are more your jam, in which case these Birthday Cake Cupcakes with Chocolate Fudge Frosting are the perfect choice!
Want more cake recipes? Make a Lemon Raspberry Glazed Bundt Cake, or try this recipe for No Fail Homemade Angel Food Cake.
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I hope you love this Banana Birthday Cake with Chocolate Frosting as much as we do! Let me know in the comments below, what’s your favourite birthday dessert? I’d love to know!
KITCHEN PRODUCTS I RECOMMEND:
Looking for more delicious desserts? You’ll LOVE these!
-
Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Mascarpone Buttercream
-
Double Chocolate Cupcakes
-
Black Forest Icebox Cake
-
Chocolate Mocha Tiramisu Icebox Cake
-
Strawberry Cheesecake Fruit Dip
-
Easy No Bake Oreo Cheesecake
LOOKING FOR MORE DELICIOUS SUMMER DESSERT IDEAS?
GET MY SUMMER DESSERTS E-COOKBOOK!
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Banana Birthday Cake with Chocolate Frosting
This Banana Birthday Cake with Chocolate Frosting is the perfect dessert for any celebration! Tender banana cake layers with fluffy chocolate buttercream!
Recipe: Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2/3 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 3 medium bananas mashed
- 2/3 cup buttermilk
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the frosting:
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2 to 3 cups powdered sugar sifted to remove lumps
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3-5 tablespoons heavy cream
- sprinkles (optional)
Recipe: Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare two 8-inch cake pans by greasing and flouring them and placing a circle of parchment paper in the bottom of each pan. Set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl with a hand mixer), beat the butter and granulated sugar on medium high speed for a few minutes until fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Beat in the mashed bananas on medium speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is combined.
- Measure out the buttermilk and set it aside.
- Measure the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a separate bowl and add it to the butter mixture on low speed in 3 additions, adding half the buttermilk in between each addition of the dry ingredients.
- Mix on low speed just until a batter forms and scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is incorporated.
- Divide the batter between the two prepared pans and smooth out the tops.
- Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for anywhere from 24-29 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cakes comes out clean.
- Cool the cakes in their pans for about 10 minutes and then turn them out onto a cooling rack to finish cooling completely.
For the frosting:
- In a large bowl with a hand mixer, or in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth.
- Add the cocoa powder and powdered sugar gradually, about 1/2 cup at a time, mixing on medium high speed until smooth. Add the salt at this time as well.
- Continue mixing on medium high speed, adding the heavy cream one tablespoon at a time until a soft, spreadable consistency is reached. Whip on high speed to make the frosting ultra fluffy once the heavy cream has been added.
Assembly:
- Assemble the cake by peeling the parchment paper off the cooled cake layers. Place one cake layer bottom side down on a cake stand or large plate.
- Dollop about 1 cup of frosting on top of this layer (level the layer first with a serrated knife, if necessary) and spread it out in an even layer.
- Add the second cake layer upside down (level this layer as well, if you wish) and spread the remainder of the frosting over the top and sides of the cake using a rubber spatula, a butter knife, or an offset spatula.
- Make rustic-looking swirls on the cake as you frost it, and top with sprinkles if desired.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve, or serve immediately. The cake slices best after refrigerating for about 30 minutes.
Recipe: Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Banana Birthday Cake with Chocolate Frosting
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 569
Calories from Fat 261
% Daily Value*
Fat 29g45%
Saturated Fat 18g113%
Cholesterol 102mg34%
Sodium 388mg17%
Potassium 243mg7%
Carbohydrates 77g26%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 52g58%
Protein 5g10%
Vitamin A 923IU18%
Vitamin C 3mg4%
Calcium 56mg6%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
What a unique and delicious cake idea! I would love to try this at our next birthday!
Hope you give it a try!
This looks incredibly delicious and so easy to make! !
Thanks!
What a delicious looking cake! Better than what I’ve seen in the bakery, indeed!
Wow, thank you!! 🙂
Love this idea! Way better than making banana bread; looks decadent!
We agree 🙂 Thanks!
This cake looks so festive! So easy and delicious!
Thanks!
Yum, love the banana flavor and chocolate frosting! Plus the sprinkles are so fun!
Thanks!!
This is such a great idea! The chocolate frosting is so perfect for this!
Thanks so much!
Love this twist on a traditional birthday cake! The bananas are a lovely surprise!
Thanks! Hope you love it!
This Cake would make anyone’s Birthday the best day!!
Thanks so much!
This was a hit at my son’s birthday party! Way better than any store bought cake!
So glad you loved it!
I seriously have never tried banana cake before. What a delicious idea for a flavoring!
Thanks! I hope you love it!
Love this flavor combo! Perfect for all our summer birthdays!
Exactly! Thank you!😊
Thank you for this recipe! My son wanted a banana cake for his quarantine birthday and I came across this recipe! The cake was delicious!! I did add a teaspoon of vanilla by mistake but it turned out amazing! Everyone in my family loved it!
Thank you Anna! So happy to hear you and your family enjoyed it!!
Had some leftovers bananas and a dad to make a birthday cake for. Man, this turned out awesome! I love this recipe so much! I topped it with some bananas and dark chocolate, and just… Wow. Thanks for sharing this!
Happy birthday to your dad! We’re so happy you enjoyed it. Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback!