Banana Choco Chip Cake

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Is banana cake and banana bread the same?

No, they are not the same! Banana cake is a soft, moist and fluffy banana flavoured cake. Banana bread has a firm and dense texture like traditional breads that allow you to slice and toast. My banana cake recipe is a tea-time cake (without any frosting), topped with some chocolate chips and chocolate buttons, that you can enjoy on its own or with a cup of tea or coffee.

What type of flour do we need?

Cake flour works best for this recipe. Since cake flour has a lower protein content (7-9%) than regular all purpose flour, it develops less gluten, making the cake light, soft and tender. If you can’t find cake flour, regular all purpose flour works fine too. I’ve tried making this recipe using both flours and they work absolutely fine, so you don’t have to worry if you can’t find cake/low protein flour. Please don’t use bread, self-raising, wheat, high protein or any other flour to make this recipe.

Can I eliminate or substitute the bananas?

Unfortunately, you cannot substitute or eliminate the bananas in this recipe as they are a key ingredient. Apart from giving the cake an amazing flavour, they give the cake an incredible texture as well. The bananas act as an egg replacer and help in making the cake soft, moist and fluffy. Without having to add eggs, the bananas help in giving the cake some sponginess! Hence, without the bananas, you can’t get the same flavour nor texture.

Can I skip the chocolate chips?

Yes, you can! If you don’t like chocolate or want to make a simple banana cake, simply skip the chocolate chips. I’ve tried this before and I promise you, the cake will taste equally amazing.

What size of cake tin would you recommend?

I would recommend using a 2lb (900g) loaf tin. The size would be approximately 21 cm long, 11 cm wide and 6 cm high. You can use other cake tins but the baking time will vary depending on the size of the cake tin used. If you are using a rectangular or circular cake tin with a larger surface area, the baking time will be much less.

How long and at what temperature do you need to bake the cake?

The cake needs to be baked for about an hour at 180 degrees celsius (fan). However, every oven varies and it’s best to monitor your cake from time to time. It can take less than an hour or even more depending on your oven. Use a toothpick/skewer to check before taking it out of the oven. You can poke it into the cake and if it comes out clean, it’s done.

How to make this cake gluten-free?

Simply substitute regular all purpose flour with gluten-free all purpose flour to make this banana cake gluten-free.

Can I use a regular chocolate bar instead of chocolate chips?

Yes, you can. You can literally use any chocolate of your choice. Make sure to chop it up into tiny bits before topping it on the cake. However, make sure not to go overboard with the chocolate either.

Can I use more Nutella?

Yes, you can! You can increase the quantity of Nutella up to 3 tablespoons! I do not recommend adding more chocolate as this will make your cake too sweet. Feel free to reduce the quantity of sugar by a few tablespoons if you’re adding a lot of chocolate.

Can I add chocolate chips to the cake mix as well?

Yes, you can! Make sure to add chocolate chips in moderation as too many chocolate chips can result in a gummy, chewy and unpleasant cake. For best results, I would recommend saving the chocolate chips for the top of the cake. It looks prettier that way too!

How do I know when my cake is done?

You can poke a toothpick/skewer into the cake to check if the cake is done or not. If it comes out clean, it’s done; however if it’s wet/sticky, the cake is not done yet. When the cake is done, it will also form a gap between the sides of the cake tin and the cake itself.

Can I double the cake recipe?

You can double the recipe if you want, but make sure to use a large circular or rectangular cake tin. If you’re doubling the recipe and your cake tin is too small, the cake will take more than an hour to bake and it might even overflow. So make sure you have the adequate baking tools before you decide to double the recipe. Alternatively, you could also use two cake tins instead and stack the cake up if you want (with frosting)!

Can I use this recipe to make other cakes?

Nope, you can’t! You can only use this recipe to make any banana flavoured cake, such as banana chocolate or banoffee. You can’t add other flavourings/extracts to the cake (other than the basic flavours that go well like chocolate or vanilla) as the banana flavour will still remain. You can’t use this recipe to make other styles of cake such as victoria sponge, chiffon or any other cake!

Can I make the cake in advance and store it?

Yes, you absolutely can! You can make this cake in advance, store it in the fridge and enjoy it whenever you want. However, this cake is so delicious and addicting, you’ll finish it in a few days and I’m certain that you would want to remake it again.

Any substitute for the ingredients mentioned?

You can use any milk and sugar of your choice.
Instead of cake flour, you could also use regular all purpose or gluten-free all purpose flour to make this cake.
Apple cider vinegar can be used instead of regular vinegar.
You can also use a chopped up chocolate bar instead of chocolate chips and any chocolate spread instead of Nutella.
If you don’t have access to vanilla extract, you could skip it.

Any cooking tips for this recipe?

You got this! This cake is a full-proof, bullet-proof recipe and you can’t go wrong. However, here are some things to keep in mind:

Make sure to sift all the dry ingredients. This helps in removing any large particles that could potentially result in a dense banana cake.
Don’t over mix the batter. Over mixing the batter creates a dense and weak cake that is fragile, gummy, chewy and unpleasant.
Line your cake tin or grease it with some oil/butter. This ensures that the cake doesn’t stick onto the pan and will easily come off once it’s been baked.
Preheat your oven. Preheating ensures your cake bakes evenly.
Monitor your cake while it’s being baked as baking time might vary depending on your oven.
Let your cake sit at room temperature for a while before unmolding it, and also leave it to cool down completely (outside the tin) before you cut it! Don’t cut while it’s still warm as it will likely break apart.
If you can wait, enjoy the cake the day after it’s baked for best results!