Banana and nutella are a true match made in heaven, so naturally they come together perfectly in this banana nutella cake! Picture cozy banana bread, but softer and more tender, in the form of two cake layers smothered in a luxurious nutella frosting. A center layer of pure nutella and hazelnuts add a crunchy element and even more richness to an already decadent dessert.
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Why you'll love this banana nutella cake
- Soft & Moist Banana Cake: Cozy banana bread but make it ultra tender and fluffy!
- Luxurious Nutella Frosting: A French buttercream base with nutella mixed in create a silky, custardy nutella frosting sans cloying sweetness.
- Great Make Ahead Recipe: These cake layers are easiest to frost when frozen, so you can easily make the cakes ahead of time and assemble when ready to serve!
Can't get enough banana desserts? Try these Nutella Swirled Banana Blondies or these Banana Pudding Jars. And you can't go wrong with a classic Brown Butter Banana Bread!
Ingredient Notes
- Flour: Use a high quality, unbleached all-purpose flour.
- Cinnamon: Optional, but adds a touch of warmth!
- Sugars: This cake requires a balance of granulated sugar and dark brown sugar to achieve a perfect balance of sweetness and moisture.
- Oil: Use any neutral oil you'd like, such as canola or vegetable oil. My preference is extra light-tasting olive oil.
- Milk: Whole milk results in the best flavor and texture of baked goods.
- Bananas: The more ripe, the better! For maximum banana flavor, let your bananas ripen to the point where they're falling off the stems before baking with them.
- Eggs: Only eggs are needed for the cake, since bananas also act as a binder. The frosting follows the method of a French buttercream, so egg yolks are used as the base, and create the most custardy texture.
- Butter: Fat equals flavor, so a European-style butter with a high fat percentage will yield the most delicious frosting.
- Nutella: There is a hefty amount of nutella in this recipe, which is why it's irresistibly delicious. If you'd like, you can omit the pure nutella filling and just add the frosting between the cake layers.
- Hazelnuts: Completely optional, but add a nice contrast in texture when used in the filling of the cake.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and individual quantities.
Step by step instructions
Here are step by step photos and instructions on how to make this banana nutella cake recipe! For the full ingredient list and method, see the recipe card at the end of this post.
STEP 1: Combine dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon.
STEP 2: Combine sugars & wet ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, vigorously whisk together the sugars, eggs, vanilla, and salt. Add the oil and milk, and mix until fully combined.
STEP 3: Add dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients, whisking until just barely combined.
STEp 4: Mash bananas. On a large plate, mash the over-ripe bananas with a fork until smooth.
STEP 5: Mix in mashed bananas. Whisk the mashed banana into the batter.
STEP 6: Bake. Pour the batter in the prepared cake pans. Wrap the cake strips around the outside of the pans, then bake the cakes for about 32-38 minutes or until golden on top and the sides of the cake start to pull away from the edges.
STEP 7: Cool, then freeze. Allow the cake layers to cool in the pan for a few minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Once cool, wrap each cake in plastic wrap and place in the freezer until ready to decorate. (Frozen cake layers are much easier to frost!)
STEP 8: Make the frosting. Start with a French buttercream, then mix in the nutella with an electric mixer until smooth.
STEP 9: Make the filling. In a medium bowl, combine the nutella and hazelnuts.
STEP 10: Assemble the cake. Place the first cake layer on a cake stand. Pipe a dam of nutella buttercream frosting around the edge of the cake. Fill the center with the nutella hazelnut filling.
STEP 11: Decorate. Add the second cake layer and top with a few scoops of frosting. Use an offset spatula to smooth out the top layer of frosting, and spread the excess all over the sides. Continue decorating the cake as desired. Add nutella swirls, pipe dollops of nutella along the edge of the cake, and top with hazelnuts. Use a sharp knife to cut individual slices, and enjoy!
Expert Baking Tips
- Use very ripe bananas. The riper, the better! Bananas become sweeter and more flavorful as they ripen, so wait until your bananas are spotty and falling off of their stems to make this cake.
- Use cake strips to create flat cake layers. Soak these wilton cake strips in ice water before starting the cake batter. Just before baking, wrap the cake strips around the pan. The cold temperature on the outside of the cake will prevent the edges from baking faster than the center, resulting in an evenly baked flat cake.
- Freeze the cake layers before decorating. Since this is such a moist cake, I highly recommend freezing the cake layers for at least two hours before decorating.
Recipe FAQs
If you do not have ripe bananas on hand, you can roast whole bananas in your oven for about 15-20 minutes at 300 degrees F. Allow them to cool before peeling and adding to the batter.
Store this cake in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge for 3-5 days or wrap individual slices in plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Baking in Grams
All of the recipes on this blog are carefully developed with gram measurements so you can easily recreate them in your own kitchen with success. Volume measurements are extremely inaccurate and leave room for significant errors. Not all measuring cups are made equally, so your one cup of flour will be different from my one cup of flour. By providing precise measurements in grams (aside from minor ingredients, which are given in tsp/tbsp), you can make these recipes accurately and with less cleanup! All you need is this kitchen scale.
If this still isn't enough to convince you, I have provided volume measurements in the recipe card. If you are interested in understanding the conversions, this is the best conversion chart.
But trust me, once you try baking in grams you'll never turn back!
Happy baking! x
Other cake recipes to try
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📖 Recipe
Banana Nutella Cake
Ingredients
For the banana cake:
- 360 g (3 cups) all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 160 g (¾ cup) dark brown sugar
- 200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temp
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 200 g (1 cup) neutral oil
- 170 g (¾ cup) whole milk, room temp
- 510 g mashed banana, about 4-5 over-ripe bananas
For the nutella frosting:
- 6 egg yolks
- 124 g (½ cup + 2 tbsp) granulated sugar, divided
- 42 g (3 tablespoon) water
- 227 g (16 tablespoon) unsalted butter, room temp
- 300 g (1 cup) nutella
For the nutella filling:
- 300 g (1 cup) nutella
- 142 g (1 cup) hazelnuts, roughly chopped
Instructions
For the banana cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease and line two 9" cake pans with parchment paper.
- Soak two cake strips in ice water.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon.
- In a large bowl, vigorously whisk together the sugars, eggs, vanilla, and salt.
- Add the oil and milk, and mix until fully combined.
- Add the dry ingredients, whisking until just barely combined.
- On a large plate, mash the over-ripe bananas with a fork until smooth. Then, whisk the mashed banana into the batter.
- Divide the batter between the cake pans. Wrap the cake strips around the outside of the pans, then bake the cakes for about 32-38 minutes or until golden on top and the sides of the cake start to pull away from the edges.
- Allow the cake layers to cool in the pan for a few minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once cool, wrap each cake in plastic wrap and place in the freezer until ready to decorate. (Frozen cake layers are much easier to frost!)
For the nutella frosting:
- Place the egg yolks and 24g (2 tbsp) of granulated sugar in a medium bowl or a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk on high speed until thick and foamy (about 3 minutes) while you heat the sugar and water.
- Heat the remaining 100g (½ cup) of granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to medium and bring to a boil, or until it reaches 240 degrees F.
- While the egg yolks are whisking on medium speed, slowly add the sugar syrup into the bowl. Continue mixing until the mixture has cooled down.
- Add the butter to the mixture a few cubes at a time, allowing them to fully incorporate before adding more.
- Lastly, add the nutella. Continue mixing on low speed until the frosting is completely smooth.
- Transfer ¼ of the frosting to a piping bag.
For the nutella filling:
- In a medium bowl, combine the nutella and hazelnuts.
For assembly:
- Place the first cake layer on a cake stand. Pipe a dam of frosting around the edge of the cake. Fill the center with the nutella hazelnut filling.
- Add the second cake layer and top with a few scoops of frosting. Use an offset spatula to smooth out the top, and spread the excess all over the sides.
- Continue decorating the cake as desired. Pipe dollops of nutella along the edge of the cake and top with hazelnuts. Use a sharp knife to cut individual slices, and enjoy!
Notes
- Use very ripe bananas. The riper, the better! Bananas become sweeter and more flavorful as they ripen, so wait until your bananas are spotty and falling off of their stems to make this cake.
- Use cake strips to create flat cake layers. Soak these wilton cake strips in ice water before starting the cake batter. Just before baking, wrap the cake strips around the pan. The cold temperature on the outside of the cake will prevent the edges from baking faster than the center, resulting in an evenly baked flat cake.
- Freeze the cake layers before decorating. Since this is such a moist cake, I highly recommend freezing the cake layers for at least two hours before decorating.
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