Chocolate Banana Cake
Updated Nov 18, 2025
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This chocolate banana cake is seriously one of those recipes that works for any time of day. It’s super moist with just the right sweetness, thanks to ripe bananas and cocoa powder. Sometimes I serve it as a snack, sometimes as breakfast with a smear of butter, and other times with whipped cream or crème fraîche for dessert.
I’m a big fan of cake recipes that are flexible enough to work any time of day, and this chocolate banana cake fits that bill perfectly. The bananas keep it moist, while the cocoa powder adds just the right touch of chocolate, and it has just the right level of sweetness. I’ve had this cake for breakfast with a little butter, as a snack straight from the counter, and dressed it up with whipped cream for dessert. It’s the kind of recipe you’ll want to keep in your back pocket for any occasion. A cake for any time of day — that’s a cake we can all get behind.
This Chocolate Banana Cake is super moist, and has what is just the right level of sweetness to qualify as breakfast, a snack, or dessert.
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More Banana Dessert Recipes
And if you like baking with bananas as much as I do…
- Banana Bread with Chocolate and Crystallized Ginger
- Mini Banana Bread Loaves
- Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Best Banana Cream Pie
More Snacking Cake Recipes
- Sour Cream Cinnamon Coffee Cake
- Orange Cake
- Raspberry Streusel Coffee Cake with Sweet Vanilla Drizzle
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Easy Chocolate Banana Snacking Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter (softened)
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 large ripe bananas (well mashed)
- ½ cup semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Butter a 9-inch square or round cake tin.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars with an electric mixer. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Mix in the vanilla, then beat in the mashed banana.
- Turn the flour mixture into the banana mixture in two batches and stir until just blended. Mix in the chocolate chips.
- Scrape the batter into the pan, smooth the top, and bake for about 35 minutes, until a wooden skewer either comes out clean or with a little bit of melted chocolate from the chips. The top of the cake should feel springy but firm.
- Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then turn the cake out of the pan and finish cooling upright on the wire rack.
What can I use and how much to substitute the eggs?
I’m not sure about subbing for the eggs, sorry!
Cold brew coffee and a slice of this cake is the best way to start a new day.
My wooden stick came out clean but when I cut it the middle looks not cooked, but the taste is very good. Help!!
that’s odd! Did you stick the wooden stick right in the center of the cake? Was the top super browned (some ovens might do that if the temp is running too high), and then the crust of the top might have scraped off the batter as it was pulled out. Check your oven temp with an oven thermometer?
Fantastic! I made it yesterday for Easter. It’s a nice alternative way to use ripe bananas other than banana bread!
How many calories in Chocolate Banana cake and your Chocolate Banana Cake Cupcakes. Thanks