Many of you will be spending the next week thinking about, planning, deliberating over, or dreaming about Thanksgiving dinner. While I understand there might be some hard and fast traditions over what sides and desserts should be served, I am here to suggest you might want to change things up a bit this year. No, I am not advocating there be any family drama around this beloved holiday meal. We all know what happens when you replace or omit anything everyone or certain a someone claims is a written in stone, goes back decades, family heirloom dish. Short of being outright accused of ruining the meal, someone leaves the table unhappy. No, I am not here to add stress to your life or to hijack your menu. I just think there should be room made for this Chocolate Chip Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Icing. Because, if by chance, someone at the table recently had, is having, or will soon be having a birthday, you will not only make them happy, your status as the most extraordinary Thanksgiving hostess/host might even be kicked up a notch. Or, if there is either any blatant or clandestine competition over who in the family makes the best Thanksgiving meal, this cake just might guarantee you the win. Or maybe even a place in host/hostess with the mostest Hall of Fame. Yes, all of this could be achieved by simply making this cake.
Once bananas turn from pale green to yellow around here they are banished to the 'they might as well go brown' bowl. In my fussytarian world, ripe or really ripe bananas are good for only one thing: as ingredients for any baked good made with bananas. Needless to say there are always baking bananas in waiting in my kitchen. Which, for someone who loves banana bread, banana cake, banana muffins, and banana cupcakes, is a good thing. There is nothing worse than taking a bite of a ripe banana (yuck) or not having ripe bananas when you are in the mood to bake with them. The most redeeming quality of a really ripe banana is their ability to impart the most delicious, deepest flavor to a baked confection. If you have ever tried using a barely ripe banana when making a banana bread or cake, you know what I am talking about.
So with two other banana cake recipes on the blog, why would I make yet another one? The simple answer is neither of the others are made with chocolate. The more complicated answer is the flavor, taste, and texture of all three of these banana cakes differs significantly. Is there now one best banana cake? Maybe. Although this may be the first time in the seven year history of the blog where I say 'best is in the taste buds of the beholder'. My best may not be your best. But I will say you should really make this Chocolate Chip Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Icing. It could be the one that sends your banana cake loving and chocolate taste buds into a state of nirvana.
The cake portion of the recipe (with some minor adjustments) comes from the cookbook "Weeknight Baking: Recipes to Fit Your Schedule" by foodblogger Michelle Lopez. So what are the differences between the original recipe and this one? The amount of vanilla was increased to 1 1/2 teaspoons instead of 1 teaspoon, the buttermilk wasn't room temperature, only 1/2 cup versus 1 cup of miniature chocolate chips were used, and it was baked in a 9" square baking pan instead of 9"x13" baking pan. On the surface these might seem like inconsequential changes. Maybe they are. However, the pan size change wasn't. I like the height of a sheet cake (and layer cake) to be slightly more than an inch in order to achieve the best cake to icing ratio. The 9" square pan gave me that. A 9" inch round pan would do the same thing. If you wanted to make a layer cake using the ingredients listed below, I would recommend using 6" cake pans.
You can mix the chocolate chips into the cake batter or sprinkle them over the top. I prefer the sprinkle over the top approach as it created a more distinctive chocolate flavor to the cake eating experience. Because the chocolate chips are miniature they remain on top of the cake and don't sink during the baking process. Whether or not it was because I didn't use room temperature buttermilk, the mixture had a slightly curdled texture before the dry ingredients were added. However, once they went in, the texture of the batter was ethereal. The cake baked for somewhere between 30 and 35 minutes in a 350 degree (F) oven.
Cream cheese icing makes me weak in knees. And I like heavily piping or lathering it on a cake. The recipe below will more than generously ice a 9" square cake as well as be more than enough for a 6" layer cake.
I was so mesmerized by the swirls of the icing I couldn't decide whether to top it with sprinkles, more miniature chocolate chips, or just leave it alone. That debate raged on in my head for a good five minutes before I made a decision.
Chocolate almost always wins.
Cakes made with cream cheese icing are usually best chilled before serving. Once the icing sets, it can be wrapped in plastic wrap to keep the sides of the exposed cake from drying out.
From the moist, tender crumb to the flavor combination of banana, chocolate, and cream cheese icing, everything about this cake is pure perfection. Because there weren't any spices in the cake, the flavor of the banana was intensified in the best of ways. This is definitely one of those cakes you will want to savor every morsel and leave no crumb behind.
While you might be spending the next couple of weeks making and getting your fill of pumpkin pie and/or pecan pie, I would try to 'twist your arm' suggest you make some room for this Chocolate Chip Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Icing on the dessert table. Whatever you do, don't just pigeon hole this cake into the dessert category. Because you could easily justify having a piece of cake, especially one made with fruit, for breakfast. Just imagine how blissful it would be to wake up the day after Thanksgiving and having a sliver of this cake with a cup of coffee.
P.S. You still have time to buy some not green, but already yellow bananas. They will be cake ready ripe in a week!
Chocolate Chip Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Icing (slight adaptation to the Chocolate Chip Banana Cake recipe from Michelle Lopez's new cookbook "Weeknight Baking" Recipes to Fit Your Schedule")
Makes 1 nine inch square or nine inch round cake or a two layer 6" cake
Ingredients
Cake
2 cups (228 g) cake flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
6 Tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1/2 cup (4 ounces) buttermilk
2 Tablespoons canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoons good quality vanilla
1 cup (226 g) very ripe bananas, mashed (from 3 medium or 2 large bananas)
1/2 cup (85 g) miniature chocolate chips
Icing
16 Tablespoons (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
16 ounces (452 g) cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/4 pounds (565 g) confectionary sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Optional: 2-3 Tablespoons miniature chocolate chips for decorating top of cake
Optional: Sprinkles
Direction
Cake
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F). Line a 9" square or 9" round baking dish with parchment paper. Spray sides and bottom of the pan with cooking spray Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add in the butter and sugar. On medium-high speed beat until light and fluffy (approximately 2-3 minutes).
3. Add in the egg and beat for another 1-2 minutes.
4. Add in the buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. Beat slowly on low and gradually increase to medium-high. Beat mixture for approximately 5 minutes. Note: Because your buttermilk may be cold the batter could look slightly curdled. Don't worry, that will change when you add the dry ingredients. Alternately let your buttermilk come to room temperature before using.
5. Beat in the mashed bananas.
6. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to the batter. Beat only until combined (approximately 1 minute). Your batter should be very fluffy.
7. Scrape batter into the prepared pan. Smooth top with an offset spatula. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of miniature chocolate chips. See Notes.
8. Place pan on the center rack in the preheated oven. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the edges of the cake are golden brown and the cake springs back when you lightly press down with your finger.
9. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Once cool, wrap with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator. Cakes are easier to remove from the pan and ice when chilled.
Icing and Assembly
1. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth and creamy.
2. Add in the vanilla and salt. Beat until incorporated.
3. Slowly add in the confectionary sugar. Beat until the icing is smooth and fluffy.
4. Place icing in a bowl and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Note: A chilled icing pipes better if using a pastry bag.
5. Remove the banana cake from the pan and place on a serving platter.
6. Spread icing onto the cake using an offset spatula or pipe on using a pastry bag with your favorite pastry tip.
7. Sprinkle with some miniature chocolate chips or sprinkles. Or serve the cake unadorned.
8. Return to the refrigerator until ready to serve or cut into pieces and serve.
9. Store any leftover cake in the refrigerator wrapped in plastic wrap.
Notes: (1) If you don't like a heavily iced cake, make half the icing recipe. (2) Instead of sprinkling the miniature chocolate chips on top of the cake, increase the amount to 3/4 cup and fold into the cake batter using a spatula. (2) If baking in 6" cake pans, baking time will be 25-30 minutes. (3) Here are the two other banana cakes on the blog: Banana Cake with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing and Spiced Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Icing.
Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park, McCalla, Alabama (November 2019)
