Banana Pecan Snack Cake with Chocolate Frosting. Perfectly moist and tender, this cake features buttermilk, ripe fresh banana, and toasted pecans. Cake layers topped with a light coat of chocolate frosting. A great cake for snacking or serving at a casual get-together.
I bought a giant bunch of bananas at the same time I bought strawberries for these strawberry doughnuts. I had planned on eating some and making smoothies with the strawberries, but I never did. I ended up making banana bread and banana muffins, and this banana pecan snack cake.
When I’ve made this cake in the past, I’ve left it unfrosted, but I was thinking it might be nice to pair it with chocolate frosting. I kept the frosting simple, like the cake. It’s American buttercream with cocoa powder. The banana shines through in the cake, so the frosting could be something complimentary like chocolate, caramel, coconut, honey/ginger or even citrus flavored.
Its finally fall here in San Diego, after an abnormally warm late summer. I’m getting my baking game on again, and thinking fall desserts. I posted apple pie bars, chocolate pecan pie bars and cinnamon roll blondies earlier this year. I’m making these bars over the next few days as part of gift boxes I’m handing out.
Why You Should Make This Cake
- banana pecan snack cake comes together in minutes.
- the batter can be used for cake layers or cupcakes.
- the banana + pecan + chocolate combo is delicious.
- this cake is amazing with or without frosting.
- store this cake for up to a week in an airtight container.
How To Make This Banana Pecan Snack Cake
The oven is preheated and two (8-inch) round cake pans are buttered inside on the sides and bottoms. The bottom is lined with a parchment paper round.
I have made this cake using three (6-inch) round cake pans, as well as making one (8-inch) round cake layer and a half dozen cupcakes. It’s simply a matter of watching the baking times and letting the cakes fully bake to the point of being firm to the touch.
Cake flour, all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and fine sea salt are added to a small mixing bowl, whisked to combine, and set aside.
Egg whites are beaten with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer at high speed to soft peaks. The egg whites are transferred to a small bowl and set aside.
Granulated sugar and unsalted butter are beaten in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer at medium high speed until light and fluffy. Egg yolks, buttermilk, and mashed bananas are added to the sugar mixture, one at a time and beaten on low until incorporated.
The flour mixture and pecans are gently folded into the sugar mixture.
The cake batter is distributed evenly between the two prepared cake pans. I like to use a scale to ensure that the two layers are going to bake to the same height.
The cake layers are baked for 25 minutes or until firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The cake pans are removed from the oven and place on wire racks to cool briefly, before being inverted and cooled completely. The parchment paper is removed from the bottom of each cake layer.
Unsalted butter is beaten for 5 minutes in a stand mixer on medium high speed. The sugar and cocoa powder are added to the stand mixer and beaten on low for 3o seconds or so. The speed is increased to medium high and beaten for 5 minutes. A tablespoon of heavy cream is added and beaten on low long enough to incorporate.
I frosted the tops of both layers before placing one layer on top of the other. I added the leftover frosting to the top of the cake and swirled it around using a large spatula.
Other Cake Recipes You Might Enjoy
Some of our most popular cake recipes include lemon blueberry layer cake, carrot cake, orange ricotta pound cake, and strawberry breakfast cake.
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Banana Pecan Snack Cake with Chocolate Frosting
Equipment
- two (8-inch) round cake pans
Ingredients
Banana Pecan Cake:
- 100 grams cake flour (1 cup)
- 85 grams all-purpose flour (2/3 cup)
- 5 grams baking soda (1 teaspoon)
- 1 gram baking powder (1/4 teaspoon)
- 3 grams fine sea salt (1/2 teaspoon)
- 60 grams egg white (from 2 large eggs)
- 100 grams granulated sugar (1-1/2 cups)
- 113 grams unsalted butter (1/2 cup or 1 stick)
- 40 grams egg yolk (from 2 large eggs)
- 2 each ripe bananas, mashed
- 120 grams buttermilk (1/2 cup)
Chocolate Frosting:
- 113 grams unsalted butter (1/2 cup or 1 stick)
- 250 grams powdered sugar (2 cups)
- 30 grams unsweetened cocoa powder (1/4 cup)
- 15 grams heavy cream (1 tablespoon)
- 2 grams vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract (1/2 teaspoon)
Instructions
Banana Pecan Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of two (8-inch) round cake pans. Line the bottoms of both pans with parchment paper rounds.
- Add cake flour, all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and fine sea salt to small bowl. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Add the egg whites to stand mixer. Beat on high to soft peaks. Transfer egg whites to small bowl. Set aside.
- Add granulated sugar and butter to stand mixer. Beat on medium for 2 minutes or until mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add egg yolks to sugar mixture. Beat on low until combined.
- Add mashed bananas to sugar mixture. Beat on low until combined.
- Add buttermilk to sugar mixture. Beat on low until combined.
- Remove bowl from stand mixer. Add flour mixture and chopped toasted pecans and fold in using a large spatula, just until combined. Avoid over mixing.
- Transfer cake batter to prepared cake pans. Bake cake layers in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until cakes are firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove cake pans from oven and cool on wire racks for 15 minutes. Invert pans and remove cakes. Cool completely before frosting.
Chocolate Frosting:
- Add softened unsalted butter to stand mixer. Beat on medium high for 5 minutes. Scrape down stand mixer bowl, if necessary.
- Add powdered sugar and unsweetened cocoa powder to stand mixer. Beat on low for 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium high and beat for 5 minutes.
- Add heavy cream and vanilla bean paste and beat on low for 1 minute.
- Apply light coats of frosting to the top of both layers. Arrange one layer on top of another. Top frosting with additional chopped toasted pecans and shaved chocolate. Serve at room temperature.
