This easy no bake chocolate banana cake is just 2 ingredients. It is very rich and full of chocolate and banana flavor. It doesn’t contain any flour, eggs, or oil. It is best served chilled and can be made ahead of time, making it an especially great dessert in the summer, though it can be enjoyed year-round.
INGREDIENTS
Bananas
Semisweet Chocolate Chips
Bananas: This recipe works best with ripe bananas. They do not need to be overripe, though overripe bananas will also work. The bananas will need to be mashed until no lumps remain.
Semisweet Chocolate Chips: If you prefer a less sweet dessert, you can also use bittersweet or dark chocolate. The chocolate will need to be melted either on the stove or in the microwave. The microwave is faster, but either way will work.
NO BAKE BANANA CAKE TEXTURE
This cake is creamy, almost like a cheesecake texture. It is very rich and decadent.
When the bananas are mixed with the melted chocolate, it prevents the chocolate from turning back into its solid form. Instead, the chocolate stays in a semi-solid state. So you end up with a rich, fudgy cake that is similar to a flourless chocolate cake.
INSTRUCTIONS
Grease the interior of a 6 or 7 inch springform baking pan. Line the bottom and inner sides with parchment paper.
Mash bananas with a fork, whisk or potato masher until no lumps remain. Set aside.
Add chocolate chips to a large microwave-safe bowl. Heat at full power in 1 minute intervals, stirring in between with a spatula, until chocolate is fully melted and smooth. (I needed 2 minutes total cooking time). Alternatively, you can melt the chocolate on the stove using the double boiler method.
Once you have a smooth chocolate batter, add in the mashed bananas. Stir with a whiks until bananas are fully incorporated and no banana streaks remain.
Pour batter into prepared cake pan. Place into fridge until set. I recommend refrigerating for at least 1 hour though it may be ready in less time. You can also let it sit in the fridge overnight. If you are decorating the cake, wait for it to set before adding the frosting.
NOTES
For a taller/thicker cake, use a 6-inch cake pan. If you don’t mind that the cake is not that tall, you can use a 7-inch cake pan.
I find this easiest to make in a springform pan but it can be made in a regular round cake pan. It will just be more difficult to remove the cake from the pan.
If you want to make the cake less sweet, you can use dark chocolate instead of semisweet chocolate.
You will need approximately 3 bananas to yield 1 cup of mashed banana.
Make sure you mash the bananas and don’t puree them. Pureeing them in a food processor or blender will make them too liquidy. While the recipe will still work with banana puree, your cake will not be as set.
Mash the bananas before measuring them if you are using a measuring cup.
This recipe does not work well with frozen bananas because frozen bananas contain more liquid.
I decorated the cake with a chocolate ganache frosting and some shaved chocolate on top.
Optional Frosting: To make the chocolate ganache frosting you will need 2 oz heavy cream and 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Place chocolate chips in a mixing bowl. Heat heavy cream until it reaches a simmer. Pour the heavy cream over chocolate. Immediately start stirring until chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Pour ganache over cake and spread it over the cake.
Cake can be made 1-2 days ahead of time. Keep cake in the fridge until ready to serve.
As posted on KIRBIECRAVINGS.COM