I love ice cream. I love bananas. I love cake, and I really love baking projects. This uber delicious Chunky Monkey Banana Cake was inspired by the famous ice cream flavor by the same name. A rich thick cake batter is filled with bananas, chocolate chips and toasted walnuts then finished with drizzle of chocolate ganache. Garnish with more toasted walnuts and it’s time to eat. It’s sure to make your dessert lovers smile from the inside out.
When an idea comes to me, I’m in my element developing and subsequently writing the recipe. This particular recipe was inspired by a famous ice cream flavor. It turned into a “made from scratch” de-light! The banana laced cake batter is filled with chunks of bananas, milk chocolate chips and toasted walnuts. I just had to drizzle it with a milk chocolate ganache and a sprinkling of toasted walnut pieces for the crowning touch. Serve it with fresh whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Then, go for a long walk….
Just like the ice cream this cake that will have you smiling from the inside out!
Chunky Monkey Banana Cake
Servings 12 -16 pieces
Ingredients
- Sift together:
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cup cake flour
- 1 [3.4 oz] box instant banana cream pudding mix
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Cream together:
- 1 cup [2 sticks] softened butter
- 1 3/4 cup sugar
- 4 large eggs
- Whisk together:
- 1 1/4 cup buttermilk
- 2 tsp pure vanilla
- Mix-in:
- 1 1/4 cup milk chocolate chips
- 1 3/4 cup chopped walnuts toasted & divided
- 1 medium banana cubed [approx. 3/4-1cup]
- Ganache:
- 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
- 3 Tbsp heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the walnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toast for 6-8 minutes, then cool completely.
- Sift together the first 6 ingredients, and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the softened butter and sugar, until pale yellow and fluffy. Around 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Whisk the vanilla into the buttermilk. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the creamed mixture alternately with the buttermilk.
- After all of the ingredients have been added, increase the mixer speed, and beat for 2 minutes until fully combined. Stop to scrape the side of the bowl and the beater as needed.
- By hand, mix in the chocolate chips, toasted walnuts and cubed banana into the batter.
- Spray a standard bundt pan with baking spray, then spread the thick batter into the pan. Bounce the pan on the counter a few times to remove the air bubbles.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center comes back clean.
- Cover the top with aluminum foil to prevent over-browning, if needed. Cool completely in the pan, then invert onto a cake plate.
- To make the Milk Chocolate Ganache:
- Melt the chocolate chips and heavy cream in a microwave safe dish. Heat in 20 second increments stopping to stir each time. Repeat until completely smooth.
- Drizzle over the cooled cake and sprinkle the top with toasted walnuts.
Melissa says
Hi Faith, thank you! Happy baking ☺
lovemylife203 says
Holy wow…that just looks and sounds so amazing..I am going to make it this week…
Thanks!!
Faith
Linda says
Another great dessert! Thanks Melissa:)
Melissa says
Hi Linda, thanks!
wendy says
I baked your cake in my standard bundt pan but the pan was a lot fuller then shown in the photo. my cake baked oer and fell in the middle. Could you have mistaken the amount of Baking Powder??
Melissa says
Hi Wendy, 3 tsp or 1 Tbsp of baking powder is correct. However, if your pan was full before baking it sounds like perhaps you added something extra by mistake? The baking powder would have nothing to do with how it fit in the pan initially for sure. I have never had this cake bake over, but if the amount of flour was increased it would be too much.
Carol says
This cake sounds fabulous and I def want to try his soon. One thing that I was taught by ny Mom when I was learing to bake in my early teens was when adding things like nuts, raisins, dried fruits, chocolate chips, etc was to lightly dust them with some of the dry ingredients called for in the recipe – This was to prevent them from “sinking” to the bottom of the cake and insure they were evenly distributed throughout the cake during baking – This is just what my Mom shared with me, thought I would pass it on