Banana cake has a long history and has been enjoyed as a sweet treat for centuries. It was thought to have originated in the Caribbean and popularised in the US in the early 20th century due to the advent of mass-produced baking powder and bananas becoming more widely available. However, you might be wondering: banana bread or banana cake?. The banana bread and banana cake may share similar ingredients, but they differ in their textures and flavours. Banana bread is denser, heavier, and has a more bread-like texture, while banana cake is lighter, fluffier, and has a sweeter taste. Also, most bread recipes tend to have yeast in it, whereas cake recipes do not have the use of yeast. This banana walnut chocolate chip cake is a delightful sweet cake that will satisfy your sweet cravings anytime, anyday!. The best part is that this banana walnut chocolate chip cake can be assembled quickly, no mixer required and whipped up easily using ingredients commonly found in your pantry!
STEPS
This banana walnut chocolate chip cake is the perfect starting point for beginner bakers or for anyone who likes the occasional baking. From the soft and tender crumb to the sweet, rich flavour of bananas in this banana walnut chocolate chip cake – what’s not to love?.
Let’s get buzzin’:
Banana Walnut Chocolate Chip Cake:
- Walnuts
- Flour
- Salt
- Baking powder
- Butter
- Sugar
- Banana
- Eggs
- Yoghurt
- Milk
- Vanilla extract
- Chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 160°C and line a 9-inch round cake pan with non-stick baking paper.
In a separate bowl, mash peeled bananas using a fork until they are mushy.
In another separate bowl, mix milk and yoghurt together well and set aside.
Sift flour and baking powder together in a large bowl and add salt. Mix until evenly incorporated and set aside.
In a pan, roast walnuts over medium-low heat until they turn a deep brown colour and release a nutty aroma. Remove from heat and let it cool. Chop the walnuts roughly and set aside in a bowl. 
Clean the pan with a paper towel and melt butter over low heat, taking care not to brown or burn the butter. Pour the melted butter in a bowl and add sugar. Whisk melted butter and sugar until a paste-like texture forms.
Add mashed bananas and whisk until well incorporated.
Add eggs one by one while whisking after each addition, ensuring each egg is well incorporated before adding the next.
Add the milk + yoghurt mixture and vanilla extract and whisk until well incorporated.
Switch to a mixing spatula and gradually fold in the flour mixture into the batter until it is mixed well. Be mindful in mixing the batter at this stage as overmixing would lead to a denser cake.
Reserve 1 tablespoon of chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon of roasted walnuts for the topping, and fold in the rest of the chocolate chips and roasted walnuts into the batter until there is an even distribution of both ingredients in the batter.
Pour the batter into the lined pan and lightly tap the pan on the working surface to remove air bubbles. Spread the reserved chocolate chips and roasted walnuts evenly on top of the batter.
Bake cake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. After the cake has baked, let the cake remain for an additional 5 minutes in the oven (without heat). Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
Cut into desired slices and serve with a cuppa tea or freshly brewed coffee.
Enjoy!
Banana Walnut Chocolate Chip Cake
Ingredients
- 150 grams Roasted Walnuts
- 180 grams All Purpose Flour
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- 225 grams Unsalted Butter melted
- 70 grams Brown sugar
- 70 grams White sugar
- 4 Bananas cavendish
- 3 Eggs
- 2 tablespoon Greek Yoghurt
- 2 tablespoon Whole Milk
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 150 grams Chocolate Chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160°C and line a 9-inch cake pan with parchment paper.
- Mash ripe bananas in a separate bowl (see Notes 1). Set aside.
- Mix milk and yoghurt in another bowl. Set aside.
- Sift together flour, baking powder and salt.
- Roast walnuts on medium-low heat in a pan until brown and nutty aroma. Let it cool and chop the walnuts roughly. Set aside. (Reserve 1 tablespoon of roasted walnuts and 1 tablespoon of chocolate chips for decoration)
- Melt butter (see Notes 2) on low heat and pour the melted butter in a bowl and add sugar. Whisk the mixture until paste-like texture forms.
- Add mashed bananas and whisk well.
- Add eggs (one by one), followed by milk + yoghurt mixture and vanilla extract. Whisk well until all ingredients are well incorporated.
- Gradually fold in flour mixture, then, chocolate chips (see Notes 3) and roasted walnuts until the everything is mixed well.
- Pour batter into the pan and tap on the working surface to remove air bubbles. Decorate the top of the batter with the reserved roasted walnuts and chocolate chips.
- Bake for 50 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool cake in the oven for 5 minutes (without heat), then remove and let it fully cool.
- Serve with tea or coffee.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- You don't need to use overly ripe bananas for this recipe. If the bananas you're using are just ripe (sweet and soft enough to eat), go ahead and use them. However, if you are using overly ripe bananas, reduce the amount of brown sugar and white sugar by 20 grams each.
- If you're using salted butter, omit the salt called for in the recipe.
- In a separate bowl, mix the chocolate chips with ½ tablespoon of all purpose flour. Coating the chocolate chips with flour helps prevent the chocolate chips from sinking to the bottom of the cake.
NUTRITION FACTS
Total Fat: 34.3 mg
Sodium: 84.95 mg
Dietary Fiber: 3.3 mg
Protein: 7.34 g
Vitamin C: 3.27 mg
Cholesterol: 98.16 mg
Carbohydrates: 47.89 g
Sugars: 27.13 g
Vitamin A: 198.09 mcg
Iron: 2.17 mg
Daily values based on a 2,000 calorie diet.