This Banana Chocolate Chip Snack Cake recipe is a moist and delicious treat that is jam packed full of banana flavor and chocolate chips! Paired with a luscious chocolate cream cheese frosting, it's a great little cake to make for a small dinner party, family night, or date night!
⅔cupSemi-Sweet Chocolate Chips(lightly coated in flour)
4tablespoonUnsalted Butter(room temperature)
2Medium-size Bananas(well-ripened)
⅔cupLight Brown Sugar(lightly packed)
¼cupGranulated Sugar
1teaspoonVanilla Extract
1Large Egg(room temperature)
chocolate cream cheese frosting
¼cupUnsalted Butter(room temperature)
4ozCream Cheese(room temperature)
¼cupUnsweetened Cocoa Powder
2cupPowdered Sugar(sifted)
1teaspoonVanilla Extract
⅛cupHeavy Whipping Cream
Instructions
banana chocolate chip snack cake
Adjust the oven rack to the second level position (just above center) and preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Generously spray an 8 inch square cake pan with a flour-based baking spray. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add in the semi-sweet chocolate chips to coat. Set aside.
¾ cup All-Purpose Flour, ½ teaspoon Baking Soda, ¼ teaspoon Baking Powder, ¼ teaspoon Salt, ⅔ cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the unsalted butter and mushed bananas together on medium-high speed until well-combined. Add in the light brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and egg, mixing together until fully incorporated.
4 tablespoon Unsalted Butter, 2 Medium-size Bananas, ⅔ cup Light Brown Sugar, ¼ cup Granulated Sugar, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract, 1 Large Egg
Fold in the whisked dry ingredients and chocolate chips until just combined. The batter will be thinner in consistency with flecks of the bananas in it. Pour the cake batter into the prepared 8 inch cake pan.
Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350ºF or until an inserted toothpick into the center of the snack cake comes out clean.
Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting.
chocolate cream cheese frosting
Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the unsalted butter and cream cheese together on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is smooth and creamy. There should be no lumps.
¼ cup Unsalted Butter, 4 oz Cream Cheese
Add in the unsweetened cocoa powder, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and heavy cream, beating together on low speed until well blended. The frosting will be thick at first.
¼ cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder, 2 cup Powdered Sugar, ⅛ cup Heavy Whipping Cream, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Once mixed together, switch the mixer speed to medium-high blending together until the frosting softens (about 2-3 minutes). It will be much easier to spread after this.
If the frosting is still too thick for your liking, you can add a teaspoon of heavy cream until the desired consistency is achieved.
Frost the cooled snack cake, top with crispearls (optional), and enjoy!
Notes
This recipe is best made in a 8 inch square baking pan. A 9 inch square baking pan would make the snack cake too thin.
The recommended bake times for this recipe are 25-30 minutes at 350ºF. I suggest checking the snack cake beginning at 25 minutes and if an inserted toothpick comes out clean, you can take the cake out. If there is still little cake batter on the inserted toothpick, place it back into the oven and check it again in a 1-2 minutes.
Coating the chocolate chips in flour helps prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the cake during baking. If you forget, however, it is really not the end of the world. I've forgotten to do this a few times myself and the chocolate chips don't all go to the bottom!
This banana chocolate chip snack cake can be made 2-3 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator double wrapped in plastic wrap. Alternatively, you can keep it for up to 1 month in the refrigerator double wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and placed in a large freezer bag. With either option, make sure your cake has cooled completely.
This frosting can be made 2-3 days in advance and kept in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator. Let it come to room temperature 30 minutes before using. Also, it's a good idea to bring it back to life with 1-2 using your hand mixer. Usually just a good 1-2 minutes will do the trick.
The milk chocolate balls used as garnish are milk chocolate crispearls from Callebaut. Basically it's crispy cereal dipped in milk chocolate. I absolutely love them!