I'm guiding you through simple steps to make a perfectly moist chocolate banana cake. The texture is like no other. The combinations of bananas and chocolate create an incredibly moist and decadent texture we can't experience with other ingredients. And the smooth chocolate ganache is the perfect finishing touch to top it off!
📌 Why you'll love this chocolate banana cake
- The texture is incredibly moist, rich yet soft.
- It's so quick and simple to make.
- You can enjoy it in many shapes and sizes.
- It is a great way to use up leftover ripe bananas.
My family absolutely loves this moist cake. We can't stop making "mmmm" sound when eating it. If you're looking for a delicious yet simple scratch chocolate cake to impress your guests during busy schedules, this is the recipe to try!
Let's get started!
📌 What's in the chocolate banana cake?
Chocolate banana cake
- Banana: Use ripe bananas for the best result.
- Egg: It helps to create a soft texture.
- Oil: I used olive oil. You can also use regular oils, such as canola and vegetable oil.
- Vanilla extract: The flavor matches so well with the banana. You can omit it if you like.
- Granulated sugar: It helps to create a moist & soft texture.
- Salt: It enhances the chocolate flavor.
- All-purpose flour: Use regular all-purpose flour.
- Cocoa powder: Use dark, high-quality cocoa powder, such as Dutch process cocoa powder for a richer flavor.
- Baking powder: Baking powder reacts to moisture and heat and helps to create a fluffy texture. It's often added to white cakes, butter cakes, etc.
- Baking soda: We use both baking powder and baking soda as leavening agents for this recipe. Baking soda reacts to acid (cocoa powder and vinegar for this sponge) and helps to create a fluffy cake. That is why it is often used for chocolate cake recipes.
- Hot water: Use hot simmering water.
Ganache
- Dark chocolate: I used 58% Couverture chocolate. You can use your favorite chocolate.
- Heavy Cream: Use regular whole-fat heavy cream.
- Honey(Optional): Honey makes the ganache slightly shinier and softer, even after it cools down. (I've gotta say the difference is minor since only 1 tablespoon is added today.) And the flavor matches well with the banana flavor.
- Toasted walnut for topping (Optional)
📌 8 steps to make chocolate banana cake
Preparation:
- Preheat the oven: to 365ºF (185ºC)
- Coat a thin layer of butter inside the pans. This prevents cakes from sticking to the pans.
- Sift all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda together.
Cake
- Mix the dry ingredients with a whisk; sugar: salt, all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda. Set it aside.
- Mash ripe bananas with a fork or potato masher in a separate bowl until the chinks look like an oatmeal breakfast meal.
- Add all the wet ingredients; whole eggs, oil, and vanilla extract to the mashed bananas. Mix them with a whisk until evenly mixed.
- Add the dried ingredients to the wet ingredients. The batter is quite thick at the very beginning. Fold it with a spatula until it is evenly incorporated.
- Add hot simmering water: Add ⅓ - ½ of the whole amount first, mix well, and add the rest to prevent the cake batter from getting cooked. Mix until evenly incorporated.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared pans and bake (Preheated) at 365ºF (185ºC) for about 40 minutes until the center cooks through. (Adjust the time & temperature, depending on the oven, the size of the pan, the thickness of the cake, etc.) Insert a toothpick and see if it comes off clean. You might see the toothpick is a little bit wet because of the mashed banana, which is fine. Just ensure it's not the wet batter. Or touch the center of the cake to check: It should be dry and bounce back gently. Let the cakes cool down on a kitchen counter until they feel slightly warm in touch before taking them out from the pans. Insert a spatula or a small knife around the cake to ensure it is not sticking to the pan. Push the spatula inward slightly to detach the side and the bottom.
Chocolate ganache
- Make ganache (Optional). Melt chocolate with a water bath. Add slightly warm to room temperature heavy cream to the melted chocolate gradually and mix well with a spatula each time until the ganache looks smooth. (I usually divide it into 4 - 5 times.) Add honey and mix.
- Spread ganache on top of the cake. Sprinkle toasted walnuts on top as an option. Slice & enjoy!
One batch is enough for 2 1.5-QT pans.
📌 Chocolate banana cake success tips
Let's go through the essential tips for making chocolate banana cake successful.
- Banana for chocolate cake: I highly recommend using ripe bananas to get the best results. Not only it's easier to mash it, but it also gives the cake a better texture and sweetness. You'll see brown stains around the skin when they are perfectly ripe.
👩🏻🍳 If your banana is not ripe enough, leave it outside in a warmer place. Or add apples in the same bag to speed up the ripening process.
- Simmering water: I usually start heating the water after mixing the wet ingredients. When heating the water too early, it starts boiling hard and evaporates too much.
- Baking pans: I used 2 1.5-QT loaf pans this time.
- Taking out the cakes from a pan: They are very fragile when they are hot since they are so moist and soft. Always let the cakes cool down before you take them out from the pans.
- Ganache: I like to spread a generous amount of dark chocolate ganache on top to compliment this cake. The moist, soft cake and silky, smooth ganache match so well. It is optional, but I highly recommend trying it if you have extra time.
- The ganache might be too loose to coat on top of a cake right after it's made, depending on the temperature of the chocolate and heavy cream. In that case, set it aside for some time - It'll slowly get thicker!
- The ganache gets hard when it cools down completely. Do not chill the frosted cake in the fridge if you want to enjoy a smooth, soft ganache frosting. I recommend frosting it right before serving the cake!
📌 Other variations
- Cake pans: You can also try this recipe with other baking pans, such as a large sheet pan, a square pan, a round cake pan, and a cupcake pan! Adjust the baking time and temperature accordingly.
- Frosting: Try a different frosting recipe to enjoy many variations! Some of the popular combinations with banana chocolate cake are peanut butter frosting, cream cheese frosting, peanut butter cream cheese frosting, Banana frosting, Nutella buttercream, and chocolate buttercream.
- Toppings: The cake goes so well with a variety of other toppings, such as different types of nuts, caramel sauce, cinnamon, chocolate chips, etc.
📌 The effects of using hot water to make chocolate cake
Hot water is often used to make chocolate cakes, such as classic chocolate cake, chocolate banana bread, etc. There are some amazing effects, such as:
- The flavor of chocolate gets enhanced more with the heat.
- Gluten in flour strengthens slightly more with the heat, creating nice bounciness.
- The cake cooks more evenly.
I tried this recipe with cold water as well and felt the not-significant yet quite noticeable differences.
📌 Frequently Asked Questions
Wrap it with plastic wrap tightly (ideally twice) so they do not get dried, and store it in the fridge if you are not using them during the day. The texture of the cake gets slightly firmer after being chilled. Leave it at room temperature ahead to enjoy a softer texture.
You can store it in the fridge for up to 5 days. It tastes the best when it's just made!
Although it is possible, the cake gets heavier with brown sugar. I recommend using white sugar to create a lighter texture.
Yes! All the tips apply the same. Just note that the cake will usually bake faster with the half amount. Check the oven a little bit earlier!
📌 More Classic cake recipes
If you loved this recipe, also try other delicious classic cake recipes!
📌 VIDEO: Watch How To Make It!
To see the instructions for the chocolate banana cake visually and get a better understanding of all, check out the video tutorial:
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📌 Printable recipe
💬 If you loved this cake chocolate banana cake recipe, please share your feedback on this post! I always love hearing how you enjoyed it with your friends and family.
Moist Chocolate Banana Cake
Equipment
- 2 1.5 quart pans (8.5" x 4.5")
- Large bowl
- Sieve
- Whisk
- Folk
- Spatula
Ingredients
- 14.1 oz Granulated sugar 2 US cups
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 10.6 oz All purpose flour 2 ⅓ US cups
- 3.5 oz Cocoa powder ⅔ + ⅙ US cups
- 1 tablespoon Baking powder
- 1 tablespoon Baking soda
- 14.1 oz Banana (Ripe) about 4 medium bananas
- 7 oz Egg about 4 large eggs
- 7 oz Oil 1 US cup (I use olive oil. You can use any regular oils.)
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 14.1 oz Hot water 1 ⅔ US cups (simmering hot water)
Chocolate Ganache on Top
- 14.1 oz Dark chocolate 2 ⅓ US cups (I used 58% couverture chocolate.)
- 14.1 oz Heavy cream 1 ⅔ US cups
- 1 tablespoon Honey Optional
- Some Toasted walnut Optional
Instructions
Preparations
- * Preheat the oven: to 365ºF (185ºC).* Coat a thin layer of butter inside the pans. This prevents cakes from sticking to the pans. * Sift all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda together.
The cake
- Mix the dry ingredients with a whisk; sugar: salt, all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda. Set it aside.14.1 oz Granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon Salt, 10.6 oz All purpose flour, 3.5 oz Cocoa powder, 1 tablespoon Baking powder, 1 tablespoon Baking soda
- Mash ripe bananas with a fork or potato masher in a separate bowl until the chinks look like an oatmeal breakfast meal.14.1 oz Banana (Ripe)
- Add all the wet ingredients; whole eggs, oil, and vanilla extract to the mashed bananas. Mix them with a whisk until evenly mixed.7 oz Egg, 7 oz Oil, 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- Add the dried ingredients to the wet ingredients. The batter is quite thick at the very beginning. Fold it with a spatula until it is evenly incorporated.
- Add hot simmering water: Add ⅓ - ½ of the whole amount first, mix well, and add the rest to prevent the cake batter from getting cooked. Mix until evenly incorporated.14.1 oz Hot water
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared pans and bake (Preheated) at 365ºF (185ºC) for about 40 minutes until the center cooks through. (Adjust the time & temperature, depending on the oven, the size of the pan, the thickness of the cake, etc.) Insert a toothpick and see if it comes off clean. You might see the toothpick is a little bit wet because of the mashed banana, which is fine. Just ensure it's not the wet batter. Or touch the center of the cake to check: It should be dry and bounce back gently. Let the cakes cool down on a kitchen counter until they feel slightly warm in touch before taking them out from the pans. Insert a spatula or a small knife around the cake to ensure it is not sticking to the pan. Push the spatula inward slightly to detach the side and the bottom.
Chocolate Ganache (Optional)
- Make ganache (Optional). Melt chocolate with a water bath. Add slightly warm to room temperature heavy cream to the melted chocolate gradually and mix well with a spatula each time until the ganache looks smooth. (I usually divide it into 4 - 5 times.) Add honey and mix.14.1 oz Dark chocolate, 14.1 oz Heavy cream, 1 tablespoon Honey
- Spread ganache on top of the cake. Sprinkle toasted walnuts on top as an option. Slice & enjoy!Some Toasted walnut
Tips
- * Banana for chocolate cake: I highly recommend using ripe bananas to get the best results. Not only it's easier to mash it, but it also gives the cake a better texture and sweetness. You'll see brown stains around the skin when they are perfectly ripe. If your banana is not ripe enough, leave it outside in a warmer place. Or add apples in the same bag to speed up the ripening process.* Taking out the cakes from a pan: They are very fragile when they are hot since they are so moist and soft. Always let the cakes cool down before you take them out from the pans. * Simmering water: I usually start heating the water after mixing the wet ingredients. When heating the water too early, it starts boiling hard and evaporates too much. * Baking pans: I used 2 1.5-QT loaf pans (8.5" x 4.5") this time. * Ganache: I like to spread a generous amount of dark chocolate ganache on top to compliment this cake. The moist, soft cake and silky, smooth ganache match so well. It is optional, but I highly recommend trying it if you have extra time. * The ganache might be too loose to coat on top of a cake right after it's made, depending on the temperature of the chocolate and heavy cream. In that case, set it aside for some time - It'll slowly get thicker!* The ganache gets hard when it cools down completely. Do not chill the frosted cake in the fridge if you want to enjoy a smooth, soft ganache frosting. I recommend frosting it right before serving the cake!
Video
Notes
How to store it:
Wrap it with plastic wrap tightly (ideally twice) so they do not get dried, and store it in the fridge if you are not using them during the day. The texture of the cake gets slightly firmer after being chilled. Leave it at room temperature ahead to enjoy a softer texture. You can store it in the fridge for up to 5 days. It tastes the best when it's just made! ** For best results, measure ingredients with a scale. All recipes are designed with weighed ingredients using grams/ounces. Cup measurements are provided for your convenience. ** One batch is enough for 2 1.5-quarter pans. The ganache gets hard when it cools down completely, just like any other ganache. So do not chill the frosted cake in the fridge if you want to enjoy a smooth, soft ganache. I recommend making it right before serving the cake.Nutrition
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Vanessa says
Mmmm…… thankyou, thankyou, thankyou for the ‘Super Moist Banana and Chocolate Cake’ recipe!!!!! I made it and even my daughter who doesn’t like bananas or dark chocolate woofed a big piece down!!!!🥰 We all gobbled it up with loads of oooohs and mmmms!!!!😋😋😋 We had it with dark chocolate ganache on top and warmed it up in the microwave, so that the ganache melted into a warm chocolate sauce. We had a scoop of salted caramel icecream with it and it was some of the best cake we’ve ever had. I’ll definitely be making your amazing cake regularly for the family- it’s just the best choccy cake ever!!!😋😋😋
ayacaliva says
Oh wow thank you so much!!🥰 I'm so glad you guys loved it!! Mmmmmm salted caramel ice cream is a fantastic choice, I gotta try it!😁
Kate says
My husband and daughter declared your chocolate banana cake the best version they’ve ever tasted. The cake was very fluffy and wonderfully moist. The cocoa powder added a bit of bitterness and complexity which we prefer over other recipes using chocolate.
ayacaliva says
Aww I'm so happy to hear that!! Thank you for sharing it☺️
Glennys says
Beautiful cake and loads of compliments. Very moist.
ayacaliva says
Thank you!!
Lisa says
Can I make this cake with mashed ripe pears instead?
Valery Smith says
The banana chocolate cake is heavenly.
ayacaliva says
Thank you!!
Ray says
I'm no baker. Boxes by Betty Crocker, Krusteez, or Duncan Hines were my only hope of making anything other bread pudding I learned as a child over 35 years ago. BUT THIS RECIPE... gave me a confidence boost because the results were PERFECT. Soft! Fluffy! Pillowy! MOIST! Not too sweet, easy to make, and SIMPLY DELICIOUS!
I'm allergic to eggs so I had none and used 3/4 cup of Just Egg (3 tbsp = 1 egg, 12 tbsp = 3/4 cup = 4 eggs). Other than this 1 substitution, I followed the recipe.
Again, I'm no baker. As I added the hot water to the mixture, the first almost 1/2 cup seemed sensible. The second had me thinking, "Okay... this is getting scary" Adding the remaining water, I thought, "OMGosh! This is too runny. I'm making baked hot chocolate." But I trusted the process and placed the pan in the oven and set the timer for 40 minutes as prescribed.
LISTEN! When I opened the oven and inserted the toothpick, I was NERVOUS. To my surprise, it came out clean. I poked enough holes to make Swiss cheese believing I was wrong. (Did I mention that I'm NOT a baker?) I cut a small piece from the corner and grabbed some confectioner's sugar to sprinkle on top. (I skipped the genache... milk allergy.) I took the first bite and began a happy dance. This cake started a party in my mouth and it invited my whole body!
Great recipe! Thank you for sharing!
ayacaliva says
Thank you so much for beautifully describing the result and I'm so happy it was a success!!! Congratulations!!😊 It always makes me so happy to know how you guys enjoyed them at home. Thank you so much for sharing🙏🏻
I haven't tried it with Just Egg, so it's good to know that worked!
Aya
Cecilia Lim says
I made this Aya and it is so delicious, it didn't last over the day. I love all your recipes. Thank you for keeping your channel and blog going.
ayacaliva says
I'm so glad! Thank you so much for sharing the result and checking both videos and posts🙏🏻
Samantha says
Absolutely gorgeous!!!
I don't eat processed sugar but since my mum asked me whether I wanted to make her fat, it means she loves it.
It was fun to make and quite easy and it was worth the wait. It didn't take me 40mins to cook but 1hr but I used a bread pan so it made sense of why it took so long.
In other words, thank you so much!!!
ayacaliva says
Thank you so much for the feedback! I'm so glad you guys loved it😊 Thank you for giving it a try!
Vicky G says
I had some ripe bananas and since I am not a fan of banana bread, I googled “banana chocolate moist cake”. I am so grateful I landed on your recipe, the cake was delicious. It took me about an hour to cook. I made a few adjustments to suit my taste buds and it worked out great. I only used 3/4 of the sugar in the cake as the bananas were already very sweet. I also made the ganache using about 2/3 of the quantities and omitting the honey and I used a little bit more cream in the end to make it a bit runny. Then I poked holes on the cake and poured the ganache while it was still warm. The cake didn’t last a day!
ayacaliva says
I'm so glad to hear that!! Thank you for giving it a try and sharing the result😊
Rebecca says
Hi Aya! I love your recipes! You always explain the science behind the recipes and that is so helpful.
I really love this cake -I don’t a kitchen scale so I used the cup measurements and it still turned out amazing.
I made it a second time but it turned out a little dry - any ideas why this happened?
ayacaliva says
Thank you! And I'm sorry that happened on the second time. I'll write the possible causes I can think of. It might not be one of them but I hope it helps!:
* Check if the temperature and the time were the same with the same amount of batter in same pans as the first time - For example, when you use bigger pans, the height is shallower and it usually takes less time to bake.
* Was the oven door opened frequently while the cakes were baked? - That could change the texture as well.
* If you use cup measurements the second time too, it's possible that the weight of flours was not the same as the first time. 1 cup of all-purpose flour can widely changed between 115 - 140 g depending on how we scoop it, level the surface, which cup we use, etc. I know it's shocking but that happened to me before. More flour could leads to less moist texture.
* Or maybe the size of the banana was smaller than last time? It's best to weight if you are not sure.
There can be something else that I'm totally missing but I hope it helps!
Samantha says
Hi,
Can we use gluten free flour for this? My friend wants to make it for her but wants to make it gluten free.
Samantha says
Hi, don't worry about this, I tried it today and it worked perfectly fine. I just used xanthan gum instead to substitute the gluten and the cakes look great!
Lisa says
This sounds wonderful! Looking forward to making this soon. Thank you for your detailed & informative recipes & videos. Hoping you’ll add your shop to the menu bar and put more items in so we can shop your affiliate links.
ayacaliva says
Thank you! I hope you'll love it!
Susan Garbett says
What size loaf tin in pounds would I use - your measurements are in Quarts and I need to convert it to uk tin size please .
ayacaliva says
Hi! The size is 8.5" x 4.5" (11cm x 22cm). The brand is Pyrex.
Connie says
The cakes are very moist and tasty. Here's how I adjusted the recipe:
- reduced sugar by using 1c. each sugar and Splenda
- reduced fat by using 1/2 c. oil and 1/3 c. peanut butter (added mild pb flavor, too)
- used 1 1/3 c. AP flour and 1 c. pastry flour because that's what I had
I was worried that the batter would overflow the pans when I saw how full they were.
Only a small amount came out of each pan.
ayacaliva says
Thank you for giving it a try! I'm glad you liked it.
Miko says
Aya-chan sugoi oishi! We made this as 12 cupcakes and one 9x13 pan…so so good! Topped with ganache and chopped toasted pecans. Thank you for offering us your amazing recipes.
Joyful Life says
Wow! This recipe is definitely a keeper! Better than my usual chocolate cake. I realized while making it that I needed two baking tins so I had to make a larger one and two small ones but they all came out amazing. The smaller ones were ready a few minutes earlier. I had only 3 bananas so I added a cup of apple sauce. I used my usual gluten free flour and you can't even see the difference with a regular flour. I like that it's not too sweet and the ganache is so good. I did not add honey, the little sugar in my dark chocolate was enough for me. I do not like overly sweet icing. Thank you! I will try your lemon cake next!
ayacaliva says
Thank you! I'm so glad you loved it! It's great to know the recipe worked with gluten flour too. Thank you so much for sharing it.
Joyful Life says
I forgot to mention that I used Belsoy (soy based replacement for dairy cream) instead of cream for the icing and it turned out amazing. I wanted to share this if someone is allergic to dairy or prefers to avoid it. It works just as well and the taste is very neutral so you don't even notice a difference. I love this cake so much! This will definitely be my usual chocolate cake from now on! Thank you again.
Payal says
Perfect texture, moist and flavorful! Thank you for the recipe...its a keeper!
ayacaliva says
Thank you! I'm glad you liked it!