Chocolate-Banana Cake

This chocolate banana cake skips the frosting entirely and is all the better for it. A simple dusting of powdered sugar over the top lets the cocoa and banana flavors come through without competition. It’s the kind of unfussy cake you bake in the afternoon and eat by evening.

Nearly two cups of puréed ripe bananas go into this batter alongside buttermilk and Dutch-process cocoa, creating a cake that’s deeply moist with that banana-chocolate combination you’d recognize from a great milkshake. The buttermilk adds tang and tenderness, reacting with the baking soda for a finer, softer crumb than milk alone would give you.

The whipped egg whites folded in at the end are what keep this from being dense. The batter is naturally thick from all that banana, and the whites add air pockets that lighten the texture. Fold gently. Aggressive stirring deflates the whites and leaves you with a flat, gummy cake.

Expect a slight dip in the center. The recipe notes this upfront, and it’s totally normal for a batter this heavy. The edges bake faster and rise higher.

Pro Tips

• Use very ripe bananas with brown-spotted skins. Green or barely yellow bananas lack the sweetness and moisture this cake needs.
• Dutch-process cocoa is preferred but not mandatory. Natural cocoa will work, though the flavor will be slightly sharper and less mellow.
• Beat egg whites to soft peaks, not stiff. Soft, moist peaks fold in more smoothly and distribute more evenly through the heavy batter.
• Best eaten the day it’s baked. The moisture from the bananas makes it lose its texture by day two.

Variations

• Chocolate chip banana cake: Fold in ½ cup mini chocolate chips after the egg whites for pockets of melted chocolate throughout.
• Nutella drizzle: Warm 3 tablespoons of Nutella and drizzle over the powdered sugar for a hazelnut-chocolate finish.