Moist Chocolate Banana Cake

Today, I'm guiding you through simple steps to make a perfectly moist chocolate banana cake.

The texture is like no other: It's incredibly moist and soft. Combining banana and chocolate creates a very moist, decadent texture we can't experience with other ingredients.

The smooth ganache is the perfect finishing touch to top it off.

🤎 I love this chocolate banana cake frosting because:

• It's super moist.
• It's rich yet soft and tender.
• It's so quick and simple to make.
• You can enjoy it in many shapes and sizes.

💬 My family absolutely loves this cake. We always make "mmmm" sound as we eat it. If you're looking for a delicious dessert to impress your guests during busy schedules, this is the recipe to try!

In this post, you'll learn essential baking tips such as:

• The difference between baking soda and baking powder
• The reason why we add hot water to the chocolate cake
• How to check if the cake is baked enough
• Tips for creating smooth chocolate ganache
• How to store the cake properly

... and so on!

Jump to:

• 📌 What's In Chocolate Banana Cake?
• 📌 How To Make Chocolate Banana Cake
• 📌 Frequently Asked Questions
• 📌 The Reasons We Use Hot Water To Make Chocolate Cake
• 📌 VIDEO: Watch How To Make It!
• 📌 Printable Recipe
• Moist Chocolate Banana Cake
• 📌 Pin It!

📌 What's In Chocolate Banana Cake?

11 Ingredients to make 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
  • It works with any cocoa powder. Use dark, high-quality 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
  • 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)
  • It helps to create a smooth ganache.
• Toasted walnut for topping (Optional)

📌 How To Make Chocolate Banana Cake

8 Steps To Make Chocolate Banana Cake

1. Mix all the dried ingredients.
2. Mash bananas with a fork until it looks like an oatmeal breakfast meal.
3. Mix all the wet ingredients.
4. Add the dried ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix.
5. Add hot, simmering water and mix.
6. Bake (Preheated) at 365 F | 185 C for about 40 minutes until the center cooks through.
7. Make ganache (Optional). Add heavy cream to melted chocolate gradually and mix well each time. As an option, add honey and mix.
8. Spread ganache on top, slice & enjoy!

Cake: Enough for 2 1.5-QT pans

📝 Tips With Images

Now, let me share detailed tips on each step, which are crucial for making chocolate banana cake successful.

Preparation

• Preheat the oven: to 365 F | 185 C
• Coat a thin layer of butter inside the pans. This prevents cakes from sticking to the pans.

Step 1: Mix all the dried ingredients.

First, add sugar and salt to a bowl.

Sift in all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda to eliminate lumps of flour.

Whisk well until they look even. And set it aside.

Step 2: Mash bananas.

👩🏻‍🍳 If your banana is not ripe enough, leave it outside in a warmer place. Or add apples in the same bag to fasten the ripe process.

Mash bananas until it looks like an oatmeal breakfast meal:

I like to leave small pieces so I can see them slightly when I slice the cakes. You can use a fork a masher to do so.

Step 3: Mix all the wet ingredients.

Add whole eggs, oil, and vanilla extract. And mix until they look nice and even.

💬 I usually start heating the water after mixing the wet ingredients. When heating the water too early, it starts boiling and evaporates too much.

Step 4: Add the dried ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix.

Use a spatula to mix them. The batter is quite thick, especially at the very beginning.

Mix until it is evenly incorporated.

Step 5: Add hot water and mix.

Eggs might get cooked if you add all the water at once. Add about ⅓-1/2 first, mix well, and add the rest.

Mix until it's evenly incorporated.

Step 6: Pour into pans and bake!

🔥 Bake at 365 F | 185 C for about 40 minutes until the center cooks through. (The time & temperature may vary depending on the oven.)

💬 Today, I am using 2 1.5-QT pans. You can use 1 larger pan instead or even cupcakes! Use any pans you have. Just adjust the baking time and temperature accordingly!

Step 7: Make ganache. (Optional)

I like to spread a generous amount of dark chocolate ganache on top to compliment this cake. It is optional, but I highly recommend trying it if you have extra time.

The moist, soft cake and silky, smooth ganache match so well. It's easy to make!

First, melt chocolate in a water bath.

Once the chocolate melts completely, add heavy cream.

I like to heat heavy cream slightly until it does not feel anything (or feel slightly warm) when you touch it.

💬 Add heavy cream gradually and mix well each time until the ganache looks smooth. I divided it into 4 - 5 times this time. The chocolate can get hardened quickly and leave pieces in the ganache when you add all the heavy cream at once.

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.

💬 Use a spatula to mix the ganache. The ganache can contain more air bubbles in it when it's mixed with a whisk. It just doesn't look so appealing.

Step 8: Spread ganache on top, slice & enjoy!

👩🏻‍🍳 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!

As an option, sprinkle toasted walnuts on top! The crunchiness of the walnut matches so well with the moist cake and smooth ganache.

Or try other toppings such as different types of nuts, diced chocolate, etc.

💡 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.

This chocolate banana cake is incredibly moist yet soft. It's the ultimate chocolate cake that is so simple to make but amazes guests with its incredible texture and flavor.

📌 Frequently Asked Questions

📌 The Reasons We Use Hot Water To Make Chocolate Cake

• 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.

Hot water is often added to chocolate cakes for those reasons.

📌 VIDEO: Watch How To Make It!

To see all the steps visually and get a better understanding of all, check out the video tutorial:

Don't forget to subscribe if you liked it 😉

📌 Printable Recipe

💬 I appreciate it if you could leave a review here if you tried this recipe and loved it! I always love hearing how you enjoyed it with your friends and family.

If you love chocolate, check out my other desserts, such as my basic chocolate cake and opera cake. I'm sharing how to make it step-by-step.

📌 Pin It!

Pin it if you love this recipe, and find so many other recipes on my Pinterest page!

You may also like:

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