Chocolate Chip Banana Snack Cake with Cocoa Frosting
This banana chocolate chip snack cake is soft, tender, and loaded with banana flavor…
- Prep
- 15 mins
- Cook
- 30 mins
- Total
- 45 mins
- Makes
- 8 servings
This Banana Chocolate Chip Snack Cake is a soft, tender treat bursting with banana flavor and chocolate chips! Topped with a silky chocolate cream cheese frosting, it's a lovely little cake for a small dinner party, a cozy family night, or a date night in.
This recipe, originally published on May 10, 2019, has been updated with new images, and updated content, and includes weighted measurements.
Let's Get to Know This Banana Chocolate Chip Snack Cake!
This banana chocolate chip snack cake is incredibly tasty. It bakes in an 8-inch square pan and is finished with a smooth chocolate cream cheese frosting.
Its moist texture and flavor come from the bananas, of course!
You also get a rich chocolate taste from the semi-sweet chocolate chips and the chocolate cream cheese frosting. For extra chocolate, scatter some crispearls over the top. Jimmies or sprinkles are fun to add too!
This is a simple recipe that comes together fast and bakes in under 30 minutes. The frosting is just as delicious and not overly sweet, and it whips up in less than 15 minutes. It's a great cake to make when family is visiting, for a small party, or as an easy after-dinner treat!
If you enjoy this recipe, be sure to try my other banana chocolate dessert, Moist Banana Cake!
How to Make Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
For this frosting, a hand mixer or stand mixer works best.
Beat the butter and cream cheese. Let both ingredients soften to room temperature first. Beat them for a good 2-3 minutes to get a smooth, creamy texture.
Add the rest of the ingredients. I strongly suggest mixing everything on low speed at first. For the best results, sift the powdered sugar before adding it. Unsifted sugar can leave lumps in your frosting.
At first, this frosting may seem like it won't come together, but it will, I promise. It starts out thick, but after 3-4 minutes with a hand or stand mixer, it becomes much softer and easier to spread.
Once it's softened, mix it once more on medium-high speed for another 2-3 minutes.
Must-Have Baking Tools
Banana Snack Cake Questions
What size cake pan should I use?This recipe works best in an 8-inch square baking pan. A 9-inch square pan would make the snack cake too thin.
What are the recommended bake times for this banana snack cake?Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350ºF. Start checking the snack cake at 25 minutes. When a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, it's ready. If there's still a bit of cake batter on the toothpick, return the cake to the oven and check again in 1-2 minutes.
Why must I coat the chocolate chips in flour before adding them to the batter?Tossing the chocolate chips in flour keeps them from sinking to the bottom of the cake while it bakes. If you forget, it's really not the end of the world. I've skipped this step a few times myself, and the chips still didn't all settle at the bottom!
Can I make this banana chocolate chip snack cake in advance?Yes! It can be made 2-3 days ahead and stored in the refrigerator, double-wrapped in plastic wrap. You can also keep it for up to 1 month in the refrigerator, tightly double-wrapped in plastic wrap and placed in a large freezer bag. Either way, make sure the cake has cooled completely first.
Can I make this chocolate cream cheese frosting in advance?Yes, absolutely. This frosting can be made 2-3 days ahead and kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before using. To revive it, beat it with your hand mixer for 1-2 minutes, and a good 1-2 minutes will usually do the trick.
What are those chocolate balls used on top of this cake?They're milk chocolate crispearls from Callebaut. Basically, they're crispy cereal coated in milk chocolate. I absolutely love them!
More Chocolate Chip Dessert Recipes to Try!
If you make this Banana Chocolate Chip Snack Cake Recipe or any other recipe on my site, please leave a star rating and tell me what you thought in the comments below. Thanks for stopping by!
Chocolate Chip Banana Snack Cake with Cocoa Frosting
This banana chocolate chip snack cake is soft and delicious, packed with banana flavor and chocolate chips. Finished with a luscious chocolate cream cheese frosting, it's a great cake for a small dinner party, family night, or date night.
- Prep
- 15 mins
- Cook
- 30 mins
- Total
- 45 mins
- Makes
- 8 servings
Ingredients
banana chocolate chip snack cake
- 3/4 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/4 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 2/3 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, lightly coated in flour
- 4 tbsp Unsalted Butter, room temperature
- 2 Medium-size Bananas, well-ripened
- 2/3 cup Light Brown Sugar, lightly packed
- 1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 Large Egg, room temperature
chocolate cream cheese frosting
- 1/4 cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature
- 4 oz Cream Cheese, room temperature
- 1/4 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 2 cup Powdered Sugar, sifted
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/8 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
Method
- Set an oven rack to the second level from the top (just above center) and preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Generously coat an 8-inch square cake pan with a flour-based baking spray. Set it aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Toss in the semi-sweet chocolate chips to coat them. Set aside.
- Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the unsalted butter and mashed bananas together on medium-high speed until well combined. Add the light brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and egg, and mix until fully incorporated.
- Gently fold in the whisked dry ingredients and chocolate chips until just combined. The batter will be thinner, with flecks of banana throughout. Pour the batter into the prepared 8-inch cake pan.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350ºF, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the snack cake comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool completely before frosting it.
- Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the unsalted butter and cream cheese together on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes, until smooth and creamy. There should be no lumps.
- Add the unsweetened cocoa powder, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and heavy cream, and beat on low speed until well blended. The frosting will be thick at first.
- Once everything is mixed, raise the speed to medium-high and beat until the frosting softens (about 2-3 minutes). It will be much easier to spread after that.
- If the frosting still seems too thick for your taste, add a teaspoon of heavy cream at a time until you reach the consistency you like.
- Frost the cooled snack cake, top with crispearls if you like, and enjoy!
Baker’s notes
- This recipe works best in an 8 inch square baking pan. A 9 inch square pan would make the snack cake too thin.
- The recommended bake time for this recipe is 25-30 minutes at 350ºF. Start checking the snack cake at 25 minutes. If a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, it's done. If a little batter still clings to the toothpick, put the cake back in the oven and check again in 1-2 minutes.
- Coating the chocolate chips in flour helps keep them from sinking to the bottom of the cake while it bakes. If you forget, it's really not the end of the world. I've forgotten this step a few times myself, and the chips still didn't all end up at the bottom!
- This banana chocolate chip snack cake can be made 2-3 days ahead and stored in the refrigerator, double-wrapped in plastic wrap. You can also keep it for up to 1 month in the refrigerator, tightly double-wrapped in plastic wrap and placed in a large freezer bag. Either way, make sure the cake has cooled completely first.
- This frosting can be made 2-3 days ahead and kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before using. To bring it back to life, use your hand mixer for 1-2 minutes, as a good 1-2 minutes will usually do the trick.
- The milk chocolate balls used as garnish are milk chocolate crispearls from Callebaut. Basically, they're crispy cereal coated in milk chocolate. I absolutely love them!
