The layers in this Chocolate Chip Banana Cake with Honey Peanut Butter Frosting will have you reaching for another slice in a hurry.
I used to decorate cakes for other people. Real life people. Do you know how stressful that is?
I am kind of a perfectionist (in some areas of my life). So when I would have a cake order, it would make me kind of neurotic. I would spend hours at a time making sure everything looked absolutely perfect. There were times I would scrape it off and start over if there was a line that I couldn't make right.
Then I had to make sure that I was doing it exactly how the customer wanted it.
My most fun cakes were the ones that they said "just do whatever". Actually those were fun but also VERY stressful because what if they hated what I came up with?!?!?
Reality set in and I realized that I couldn't charge enough to balance out the time I was putting into these cakes. So now I just bake when I want to and what I want to. There is waaaay less stress baking for my family.
Although, every once in a while I will take a cake order and then kick myself when I actually have to work on it. In fact, I will try to talk people into cupcakes 9 times out of 10 because they are much easier to do. Plop a swirl on top, and they are good to go.
I created the best banana cake for my birthday this year. Yes, I know my birthday was almost a month ago, and I am just now sharing.
Remember what I said about less stress. That is the fun about blogging. I can share whenever I feel like it.
Today feels like a cake day to me. Plus, with all the veggies I have been eating, I wanted to drool over the Best Honey Peanut Butter Frosting again.
One of my favorite designs to do is the basket weave. This is the one that I will do most times if I have my own choice. It makes such an impressive cake AND everyone thinks it took you hours.
Want to know a secret? This awesome looking basket weave design is actually one of the easiest frosting techniques. Once you have mastered it that is.
I thought it would be fun to show you step by step, so that you believe me when I say it is easy.
Frosting a Chocolate Chip Banana Cake with Honey Peanut Butter Frosting:
First gather all your supplies, so you can have it all near you as you work. You can purchase all these items at your local Hobby Lobby or Michaels.
- flat plate
- frosting bags
- plastic coupler
- icing tip #47 and #18
- cake leveler
- icing spatulas
Put your cake on a FLAT plate. I had this one on a plate with an edge and it was hard to get the bottom strips of frosting straight down at the bottom.
Level the cakes and completely cover the cake with a thin layer of frosting.
Put the bigger part of the plastic coupler in the inside of the bag. Fill the bag with frosting. Add the metal tip and the small screw part of the coupler.
Twist the bag at the top and hold it between the thumb and index finger in the palm of your hand. Make sure the bag is twisted so that the edged part of the tip is facing up.
Squeeze the bag gently while moving down the side of the cake. Don't worry if it isn't perfectly straight. When you get all the lines on, no one will even notice.
Go back to the top and start squeezing small strips of frosting horizonally across the line. Make sure you leave a space the size of the metal tip in between each one.
You will have to continue to twist the top of the frosting bag so it stays tight in your hand.
Always make sure the edged part of the tip is facing upward. This is what gives your line the basket look.
Now squeeze another straight line vertically over the ends of each small strip.
It starts to get a little tricky right about here.
You want to pipe your small strips opposite the ones you did on the first line.
Each time you add a small strip, make sure the metal tip is down into the peanut butter frosting.
In fact, it will be slightly under the straight frosting line. This makes it look like the frosting is all one piece.
Now I say this is seriously so easy, and it really is. But it does take a lot of practice to get it right.
My first cakes like this were sorry to look at, but I kept trying and now I can whip one out in less than an hour.
Don't give up!! They are so fun to do, and believe me, everyone loves them!!!
After you get all the way around the cake with your lines, add a decorative border to the top of the cake as a finisher. I usually do a backwards S using metal tip #18.
Each time you do another S, you need to make sure the tip is under the last one. By starting under the frosting, it keeps it looking like one giant strip of frosting.
You could also just do a shell border or even a star border on this banana cake.
After all that hard work, you deserve a GIANT slice of frosted banana cake!
Yes, I know, that after putting all that time into making it pretty, you will feel kind of sad to make the first cut.
Believe me, it gets easier with each cake you do.
Recipe
Chocolate Chip Banana Cake Recipe
The layers in this Chocolate Chip Banana Cake with Honey Peanut Butter Frosting will have you reaching for another slice in a hurry.
Ingredients
- 2 yellow cake mixes
- 1 ½ cups water
- ⅔ cup canola oil
- 6 large eggs
- 2 cups brown bananas, mashed (4-5 medium)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 cups mini chocolate chips
- 1 batch Best Honey Peanut Butter Frosting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease and flour 2 - 8 inch round cake pans. (Make sure they are at least 2 inches tall.)
- Combine the cake mixes, baking soda, cinnamon, oil, water, and eggs and beat on low for 1 minute. Increase the mixer speed a little bit and beat for 2 more minutes.
- Stir in the bananas and chocolate chips by hand.
- Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans. Bake for 38 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then flip out on a wire rack to cool completely.
- Place one cake layer on a plate and spread frosting on top. Place the second cake layer on top and cover the entire cake with frosting.
- Top with extra chocolate chips, if desired. Cover until serving.
Notes
- If your cake pan is 8 inches by 1 inch, use one cake mix and only half of the rest of the ingredients. Divide the batter into 2 pans, so it doesn't overflow in your oven.
- You can also just bake the cake batter in 2 - 9x13 pans for 30 minutes.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 14 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 684Total Fat: 31gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 88mgSodium: 688mgCarbohydrates: 100gFiber: 4gSugar: 64gProtein: 9g
Cassie/Bake Your Day
This is so gorgeous, I just don't think I have the patience to make such an intricate design. I love the look, though and these flavors are my favorite. Love this!
cakewithlove.me
This cake is gorgeous, I am so glad you posted photos how to decorate it, I plan baking a cake for my birthday next week, I plan using this technique.
Holly
Okay, just a few things...
1. Great minds think alike, and I posted a banana cake today too!
2. YOURS is GORGEOUS!!!
3. I LOVE that you showed how to do the basket weave. I've always wanted to try it out on a cake!
Awesome, awesome job Jocelyn! 🙂
katievaz
This is a really beautiful cake 🙂 and it sounds delicious!
Jane and Lorraine
I love basket weaving as well, this is a great looking cake. I feel the same way, I rather do it for fun or family, when its a order and the pressure is on, its not as fun. 🙂
Nat
Gorgeous! Happy Belated Birthday! 🙂
nat
MissCandiquik
beautiful! Yes, until you make many of these treats/cakes yourself, you really have no appreciation of the time spent! Thanks for the tutorial though, you're right, it is much easier than it looks!
4Sisters
Banana cake with peanut butter frosting?! Serious deliciousness 🙂 I never knew that the basket weave technique was that simple. I might have to start practicing...
Becca @ Crumbs and Chaos
Aimee
Jocelyn, you are so stinking talented! I always wondered how to do the weave, I'm totally going to try it! Thanks 🙂
CookieCrazedMama
Too funny! I was just searching for a recipe to use up my brown bananas! This looks delicious!
Michele {The Scrap Shoppe}
Joceyln! This looks AMAZING!!! And it looks so fun and fresh for summer. Thanks for sharing your tips! 🙂
Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust
1. That's gorgeous. 2. It's super amazing. 3. It sounds so delicious I'm drooling and because it's bananas and peanut butter, it counts as breakfast, right? 4. LOVE IT!!!
Hayley
OMG, this cake is BEYOND gorgeous, Jocelyn! I LOVE banana and the frosting looks incredible! You did an outstanding job--bravo! 🙂 Also, when I did custom cupcake/cake orders I would always FREAK.OUT. I am SO bad about stressing around baked goods for others. What if the frosting melts? What if they got baked too long? What if there's not enough sprinkles on one cupcake but more on another? The dumb things you think when cupcakes are stressing you I guess!
Ashley @ Kitchen Meets Girl
This is gorgeous!! Somehow, I got roped into making a (small) wedding cake next month, and I'm seriously about to stroke out over it. The basket weave it my favorite technique, so that's probably what I'll use...but you're right, there's really no way to charge appropriately for the amount of time/stress it takes to decorate!
I could definitely take a big slice of this cake right now! It looks perfect!
Winnie
AMAZING looking cake!!
You are a master in decorating
I must pin-it - so I'll keep dreaming ...
thesubjectivist
I think its going to take me seven more lives to produce something as perfect as that cake. I'm gawking at your photographs in admiration!
Sophie
WOW that looks DELICIOUS! And beautiful with all the pipework! I'd love if you linked this up to my Sweet Saturdays link party this week! Thanks!
http://lacreativitedelafille.blogspot.com/
Gotyourholidayon
I couldn't help it. I had to Pin it. Darn diet.
Mama J
Oh my goodness..... STUNNING.
Little Mommy Kim
This looks absolutely amazing! I love it! Both the look and the ingredients!
Ashley
Yes it does!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YUM!!!!!!