This banana cake with chocolate peanut butter frosting is my favorite — like banana bread in cake form, perfect for a crowd and topped with an incredible cream cheese frosting. It makes an ideal snack cake.
I’ve got your weekend treat!
This banana cake is topped with a chocolate peanut butter cream cheese frosting that’s truly divine. It works as an after-school snack or a comforting weekend dessert.
The cake uses plain Greek yogurt and turns out incredibly fluffy — light and airy, yet full of that familiar banana-bread flavor. It’s nostalgic in cake form.
If you’ve tried other banana cake variations, you’ll recognize how special this one is. The texture sits somewhere between banana bread and a sheet cake, and it’s perfect for families — one 9×13 pan feeds many and tends to last longer than a loaf.
And the frosting — chocolate and peanut butter fans, rejoice. This is chocolate peanut butter cream cheese frosting: tangy cream cheese blended with peanut butter and cocoa for a rich, balanced finish.
Cue all the exclamation points.
I’m a cream cheese frosting fan — its tang and creaminess make it my go-to. Paired with peanut butter, it’s almost like a peanut butter cheesecake frosting: comforting and addictive.
This chocolate peanut butter frosting is a classic combination — think Reese’s peanut butter cup in frosting form — and it’s always a hit with kids and adults alike.
If you want a snack cake to please a crowd, this is it: comforting, familiar flavors with a luscious frosting that elevates the whole thing.
Look at that crumb — tender and dreamy. It’s a great pick for breakfast, snack time, or dessert.
Might have to make it for breakfast!
Banana Cake with Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting
Banana Cake with Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting
12
to 16 slices
25 mins
35 mins
1 hr
2 hrs
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup white granulated sugar
- ¾ cup loosely packed brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 to 3 large bananas, mashed
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup peanut butter
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
- pinch kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then beat in the vanilla. Add the mashed bananas and yogurt and mix until combined.
- Stir in the dry ingredients on low speed, scraping down the sides as needed, until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 28 to 33 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely before frosting.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
- Beat the cream cheese, peanut butter, and butter together until creamy. Add the powdered sugar and cocoa powder and beat until combined. Stir in the vanilla. If the frosting is too thick, add milk 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired consistency.
- Frost the cooled cake. Because the frosting contains cream cheese, store the frosted cake in the refrigerator; cold cake is delicious and helps the frosting set.
Did you make this recipe?
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