There is one thing you should know about me: I love peanut butter. Wait, make that two: I love bananas. Wait, okay, three: I love chocolate. Alright, there it is: peanut butter, banana, and chocolate. What does that sound like? Oh yeah, the classic Elvis flavor!
Growing up, I always had a peanut butter and banana sandwich in my lunch box. And I literally mean this was the case from middle school to my senior year of high school, and even now, I eat them pretty often. When I want to be special, I toast a slice of bread, spread with chocolate chips, then peanut butter and banana. It is the perfect combination of richness, saltiness, creaminess… it is simply God’s gift to flavor combos.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana has long been my milkshake order of choice, as well as my sundae and concrete picks. I also like to add chocolate and peanut butter chips to my banana bread. However, while this is my favorite flavor, I never thought to make it into a birthday cake!
Don’t ask me why. I guess I thought birthday cakes were supposed to be chocolate or funfetti and that bananas didn’t really go into cakes and it was all just a conspiracy to keep me from creating the perfect treat.
Well, I overcame that conspiracy and brought you the love of my life. This is a very moist, dense chocolate cake that uses buttermilk and boiling water to keep it rich. I layer in chopped bananas before it bakes, which get smooth and sweet and keep it even more moist! Then, I top it with a light and fluffy peanut butter frosting.
If you like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, this is a vary close flavor profile. The frosting reminded me of a fluffy Reese’s filling. Of course, the brand of peanut butter will effect this. I had a sweet peanut butter, but a saltier one will taste differently or require more sugar to get the same flavor.
I could go on about why this cake is worth trying, but I will get to the recipe before my mouth starts watering more:
INGREDIENTS:
For the cake:
- 2 cups All Purpose Flour
- 2 cups Sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa
- 2 sticks Butter
- 1 cup Boiling Water
- 1/2 cup Buttermilk
- 2 whole Beaten Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- 2 Medium Bananas, sliced
For the Frosting:
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter (I’m a Jiffy girl, but go for your fav)
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature (I left mine out for about 4 hours, it was quite soft)
- 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
To prepare:
Preheat the oven to 350
Get your water boiling if you forgot
Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter and cocoa powder together. Once the butter is melted, pour in the water and let it all bubble and boil for about 90 seconds. Set aside to cool.
In a small bowl, combine the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla.
Pour the butter-chocolate mix into the flour bowl, stirring quickly to cool down the stuff. Gradually whisk in the egg mixture, don’t scramble them!
Pour the batter into two greased 9 inch pans, then place the bananas in a layer and stir to cover them with cake batter. Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
For Frosting:
Beat together sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt with electric beaters. Pour in the cream and taste for sweetness. When the cake is cool, frost in between the layers and on top/ sides. Enjoy!
whenkathycooks 