Banana Cake with Peanut Butter Chantilly is a lighter take on banana bread, studded with bittersweet chocolate and finished with a peanut butter–white chocolate chantilly.
Happy Friday! I meant to share this Banana Cake with Peanut Butter Chantilly earlier in the week, but I got completely absorbed in the election and watched the markets far more than I should have. Silly, I know.
The whole situation left a lot of people feeling drained, regardless of which side they supported. Still, a new day is a chance to be kinder and more accepting. And a little daily sweetness certainly helps.
I love banana bread (I have a few favorites), but if you want something lighter and just as satisfying, try a banana cake. I kept this version simple—a single-layer cake baked in a tart pan—but you can also build it into a layer cake for special occasions.
Banana cake usually bakes up paler than banana bread. To achieve a deeper, caramelized color without overbaking, I buttered the pan and dusted it with sugar instead of flour. My grandmother used to do this, and I was reminded of it when I studied baking arts. Greasing and sugaring the pan gives the cake a lovely caramel tone and a delicate, crunchy edge.
That thin crunchy crust pairs beautifully with the topping. I wasn’t in the mood for buttercream, so I made an easier cremeux-style chantilly by whipping cream and folding in softened peanut butter and melted white chocolate. I piped small rounds of chantilly across the cake—110 little kisses—and it instantly elevated the presentation.
In short, this Banana Cake with Peanut Butter Chantilly is simply delightful. Keep smiling and enjoy lots of cake!
Banana Cake with Peanut Butter Chantilly
Ingredients
- 320 grams cake flour
- 4 grams baking soda
- 2 grams baking powder
- 3 grams salt
- 300 grams mashed bananas I used 3 large bananas
- 61 grams buttermilk
- 5 grams pure vanilla bean paste
- 114 grams browned butter
- 285 grams granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 100 grams dark chocolate chips
- 250 grams coconut cream or 355 whipping cream
- 100 grams creamy peanut butter
- 75 grams melted white chocolate
- shaved chocolate
- crisp pearls
Method
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Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
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Brush butter on the bottom and sides of a 9-inch tart pan and dust with about a tablespoon of sugar, tapping out any excess. Place the prepared pan on a sheet pan.
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Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
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In a separate bowl, combine mashed bananas, buttermilk and vanilla.
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Cream the browned butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy.
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Add the eggs one at a time, beating between additions and scraping the bowl as needed.
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Add the flour mixture in thirds, alternating with the banana mixture: 1/3 flour, 1/2 banana mixture, repeat, ending with the flour. Beat until combined.
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Fold in the dark chocolate chips.
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Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula.
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Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
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Remove from the oven and let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10–15 minutes. Invert onto a wire rack to cool completely if using immediately, or wrap while still warm and freeze until needed.
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Gently heat the peanut butter to soften, then stir in the melted white chocolate until smooth.
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Whip the coconut cream (or whipping cream) to soft peaks.
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Fold the peanut butter–white chocolate mixture into the whipped cream until evenly combined.
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Fit a piping bag with a plain round tip and fill with the chantilly.
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Pipe small rounds (kisses) across the cake, then finish with shaved chocolate and crisp pearls.
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