Healthy Banana Cake with Chocolate Frosting
This moist banana cake is full of naturally sweet fruit flavor and finished with a decadent ganache-like dark chocolate frosting and peanut butter swirl. It’s a symphony of perfect flavor pairings! Leftover cake will keep for at least two or three days (if not longer!) if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE
- 1 ½ cup (180g) whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp (14g) coconut oil (melted and cooled slightly)
- 1 large egg (room temperature)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (200g) mashed banana (about 2 medium – and see Notes!)
- 3 tbsp (45mL) honey
- 2 tbsp (30g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup (60mL) nonfat milk
FOR THE FROSTING
- ½ cup (40g) unsweetened cocoa powder (measured like this)
- ¼ cup (60mL) pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp (15mL) nonfat milk
- 1 tbsp (16g) homemade creamy peanut butter
Instructions
- To prepare the cake, preheat the oven to 350° and lightly coat a 9”-square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, egg, and vanilla. Stir in the mashed banana, honey, and yogurt until smooth and no clumps remain. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with the flour. (For the best results, add the flour mixture in 3 equal parts.)
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan, and bake at 350°F for 22-25 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- To prepare the frosting, combine the cocoa powder, maple syrup, vanilla, and milk in a small bowl, stirring until smooth. Spread on top of the cooled cake. Pipe the peanut butter onto the frosting in lines (as described in the blog post above), and draw lines in the opposite direction using a toothpick to create the “V” effect.
Notes
IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It's extremely important to measure the flour and cocoa powder with this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much flour will make your cake dry and bland. Too much cocoa powder will make your frosting bitter and stiff.
IMPORTANT BANANA NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: For best results, use the ripest, darkest, most spottiest bananas you have! The ones that are purely brown are ideal. They have a stronger and sweeter banana flavor than pure yellow bananas, and they'll yield a moister and softer texture as well.
Measure the bananas by cups or grams, not by “two medium bananas.” Not all “medium” bananas are the same size!
FOR A SWEETER CAKE: This cake isn't overly sweet — and that's intentional! If you prefer a sweeter cake, then substitute additional honey for an equal amount of milk. (For example, use an additional 2 tablespoons {30mL} of honey, and decrease the milk to 2 tablespoons {30mL} instead.) Alternatively, replace the milk with honey.
FOR A THICKER CAKE: If you prefer taller and thicker slices, you can try using an 8”-square pan instead. The bake time may be a bit longer, so use the toothpick test to check. (Look for very few crumbs attached — or none at all!)
FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: White whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the whole wheat flour.
COCONUT OIL ALTERNATIVES: Any neutral-tasting oil may be substituted for the coconut oil. Alternatively, substitute melted unsalted butter or melted stick-style vegan butter (I like this one and this one).
HONEY ALTERNATIVES: Pure maple syrup or agave may be substituted for the honey. Alternatively, substitute 3 tablespoons (36g) coconut sugar + 1 ½ tablespoons (22mL) milk.
MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
COCOA POWDER NOTES: I do not recommend substituting Dutched or special dark cocoa powder for the regular unsweetened cocoa powder. Both Dutched and special dark cocoa powder have a different acidity level. They also taste more bland and muted in this recipe compared to the rich chocolate flavor of regular unsweetened cocoa powder.
If your cocoa powder is very bumpy and/or clumpy, then sift it into the mixing bowl.
MAPLE SYRUP ALTERNATIVES: Honey or agave may be substituted for the pure maple syrup.
PEANUT BUTTER ALTERNATIVE: Store-bought creamy peanut butter may be substituted for the homemade.
GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: For the gluten-free flour, use as follows: 1 cup (120g) millet flour, ¼ cup (30g) tapioca flour, ¼ cup (30g) brown rice flour, and 1 teaspoon xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends (I love this one from Bob's Red Mill) will also work, if measured like this.
DAIRY-FREE OPTION: Use the coconut oil option (or any other neutral tasting oil), or substitute stick-style vegan butter (I like this one and this one). Substitute your favorite non-dairy milk in place of the nonfat milk. Substitute non-dairy yogurt (ie soy-based or almond-based) in place of the Greek yogurt.
HOW TO STORE: Store the unfrosted cake in the refrigerator tightly wrapped in plastic wrap (this is my favorite because it clings much more tightly than other brands!) or sealed inside of an airtight container. It should keep for at least four or five days, if not longer.
Store any leftover frosted cake in the refrigerator sealed inside of an airtight container or inside of a cake carrying case (my cases aren't sold in stores anymore, but this one and this one are similar to the ones I own!). It should keep for at least two or three days, if not longer.
{gluten-free, dairy-free option, clean eating, low fat}
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.