Banana Nutella Cake
My Banana Nutella cake has three layers of moist banana cake topped with decadent creamy Nutella ganache frosting. If you love banana bread, you have to try this! You can get that same delicious banana flavor in layer cake form. It’s the perfect way to dress it up for a birthday or celebration. What makes this delicious banana cake even better is the whipped Nutella ganache frosting. Whipping ganache until its light and fluffy creates a texture similar to buttercream, but without the butter and powdered sugar.
Ingredient Notes
- Salted butter – I only bake with salted butter. You’ve probably heard to use unsalted because there can be discrepancies in how much salt is in different brands but I have yet to come across a brand of butter that is too salty. I find that when I use unsalted butter I have to add a lot of salt to balance out the sweetness of most of my recipes.. For this cake we want to use room temperature or softened butter. You can leave it out at room temperature about an hour before you need to use it, or microwave it for about 15 seconds to soften.
- Ripe bananas – When baking you want to use very ripe bananas because they are sweeter and will give more flavor to your cake. This is a great way to use those brown bananas sitting on your counter.
- Buttermilk – If you don’t have store-bought buttermilk you can easily substitute with milk and lemon juice. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice to a measuring cup and then add enough milk until you have 1 1/2 cup total. Let sit for about five minutes before adding to your batter.
- Nutella – I love the banana Nutella flavor combination in this cake. However you can omit the Nutella completely or substitute peanut butter for a different flavor ganache.
Banana Cake
For this banana cake recipe and for most of my vanilla cake bases I use a technique called reverse creaming. It’s the opposite of creaming which is probably what you’re used to when making cakes. Instead of creaming the butter and sugar together first and then mixing in the dry ingredients we are going to reverse that order. Starting with the dry ingredients in the bowl we add chunks of room temperature/softened butter and then end with the wet ingredients. I add the butter one tablespoon at a time and mix on low just until there are no large chunks of butter left. The mixture should resemble wet sand. By coating the butter in flour, this method is reducing the gluten formation and results in a nice, tender crumb.
After adding the butter you will add the eggs and mashed bananas to the dry ingredients. I just used a fork to mash the bananas but you can also use a potato masher if you have one. Next add the buttermilk on low speed just until incorporated. Lastly, add the vanilla extract and oil and mix on medium speed for about 30 seconds or until smooth. Divide the cake batter between your parchment lined cake pans and bake for 30-35 minutes.
cake tips
- Always grease your pans. When I use 8” pans (or larger) I spray my pans with non stick baking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper. Alternatively if you don’t have baking spray or parchment paper you can rub the pans with butter and dust with flour.
- These cake layers will bake relatively flat, so you don’t need to level them if you don’t want to. I like to trim just the thinnest layer of the top with a long serrated bread knife.
- I rarely bake and decorate the same day. A day or two before I need to serve the cake I bake the layers and then freeze overnight. See the instructions below for making cake layers in advance in my Peanut Butter Oreo Cake post.
Nutella Frosting
Whipped chocolate ganache frosting is perfect for when you don’t have a lot of butter lying around or you just want something rich and decadent. It does take a bit of time, so plan accordingly to make it in advance.
Start with placing your chocolate chips and Nutella in a large mixing bowl. I like to use the bowl of my stand mixer to later I can start mixing without having to transfer the ganache to another bowl.
Heat your heavy cream to just a simmer, you don’t want it to boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and sit for a minute or two to start melting. Whisk until smooth.
Here’s where the waiting comes in – the ganache has to set to the right consistency before it can be whipped. You can cover it and leave it at room temperature for a few hours or speed up the process and refrigerate it. The right consistency is set but still soft, similar to the consistency of peanut butter.
Once it’s ready, beat on high speed with a whisk attachment until light and fluffy. It will only take a couple minutes. Be careful not to over mix it or it can turn grainy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula occasionally to get all the ganache incorporated. Mix in the vanilla extract if desired.
Assembly
To assemble the cake, place a dab of frosting on your cake board or plate and then place the first layer of cake on top. Spread a layer of creamy Nutella frosting on top. Stack the second cake layer on top and repeat, ending with the final layer of cake, top side down. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting. Decorate with chopped hazelnuts if desired and enjoy! The cake is best served at room temperature but store all leftovers in the refrigerator.
Looking for more cake recipes? Check out my Peanut Butter Oreo Cake or my German Chocolate Cake.
Banana Nutella Cake
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- 2½ cups sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ cup salted butter, softened (1½ sticks)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup mashed banana (2 large ripe bananas)
- 1½ cups buttermilk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 cup Nutella
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract, optional
- chopped hazelnuts, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350. Grease three 8 inch pans and line with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix on low to combine.
- While mixing on low speed add the softened butter 1 tablespoon at a time. Continue mixing until no large chunks of butter remain.
- Add the eggs and mashed banana and mix to combine.
- Slowly add the buttermilk while mixing on low speed. Add the vanilla and oil, beat on medium for about 30 seconds or until smooth.
- Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans and bake for 30-35 minutes.
- Cool completely (or wrap and freeze) before frosting.
- Add the Nutella and chocolate chips to a large bowl.
- Heat the heavy cream in a medium saucepan just until it reaches a simmer. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate.
- Allow to sit for a couple minutes and then whisk until smooth.
- The ganache will thicken as it sets. You can do this at room temperature or in the fridge. It can take anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple hours depending on the temperature. It's ready when its set but still soft, similar to the consistency of peanut butter.
- When the ganache is set, beat on high speed with a whisk attachment until the frosting is light and fluffy.
- Remove the cake layers from the freezer about 30 minutes before you want to assemble the cake. You want the layers to be cold, but not completely frozen to decorate.
- Once the layers are thawed I like to trim the cakes. They will bake pretty flat so this step it optional, but you can use a serrated bread knife to remove the skin that forms on top while baking.
- To assemble the cake, place a dab of buttercream on your cake board or plate and then place the first layer of cake on top. Spread a layer of ganache on top. Stack the next cake layer on top and repeat, ending with the final layer of cake, top side down.
- Using an offset spatula frost the sides and top of the cake. Decorate with chopped hazelnuts if desired. Enjoy!
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