Birthday Cake Club: Cocoa Banana Caramel

Chocolate and banana bread lovers unite!

Hi Bakers!

What if I told you that we could make a cake that has the same moist texture as banana bread but also tastes of chocolate? Well that’s what I’ve done here! 

Chocolate cake with whipped vanilla frosting is a pretty classic combination any day of the week. But for the Birthday Cake Club, I took it up a notch by adding cocoa powder to a decadent sour cream banana cake and topping it off with salted caramel sauce. 

If you are looking for a November birthday cake that’s not pumpkin spice or any of the other typical fall offerings, then this cake is for you! 

This cake is both decadent and delightful. I honestly can’t get over the moist, fudgy texture with its perfect chocolaty banana bread taste. 

The cake is the star flavor here, so I went with a vanilla bean frosting. It is anything but plain and does a great job at not overpowering the cake. Plus, we have the salted caramel drip that brings everything to the next level. 

Banana, chocolate, caramel, and vanilla bean. This flavor combination is one worth repeating. It tastes a bit like Bananas Foster, but with chocolate instead of rum; although a splash of rum in the caramel and pinch of cinnamon in the buttercream might be worth a try next time.

How to Quickly Ripen Bananas

Baking with the spottiest, brown, nearly mush bananas is the best way to go. In my opinion, these are the bananas that are beyond rescuing in a smoothie and are really only destined for banana bread. 

However, sometimes those banana bread cravings strike when you haven’t been planning for it and you need ripe bananas fast.

Here is what you can do:

1. Your first move is to separate the bananas from the bunch. This will help them ripen a bit faster in the fruit bowl.

2. If you have a couple days, pop the bananas in a paper bag with a piece of ripe fruit - like an apple or pear. Bananas naturally give off ethylene gas. Trapping it in a paper bag will speed up the ripening process. 

3. For right-now banana baked goods, try roasting the bananas. Your oven is already being used, so toss the underripe bananas in their peels on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until nearly black. This should take 15 to 20 minutes at 350°F. Once cool enough to handle, peel open the bananas and scrape out the insides to use in your recipe.

Now let’s get to the recipe!