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Baking recipe · from the recipe book

Banana Layer Cake with Cocoa Cream Cheese Filling

Two tender, banana-rich layers with warm cinnamon, sandwiched and topped with a silky, tangy cocoa cream cheese filling.

Banana Layer Cake with Cocoa Cream Cheese Filling

Ingredients

  • 4 medium450 gBananavery ripe, mashed
  • 2¼ cups300 gCake flour
  • 1⅛ tsp5 gBaking soda
  • ¾ tsp4 gBaking powder
  • ¾ tsp4 gSalt
  • ¾ tsp2 gGround cinnamon
  • ¾ cup170 gUnsalted buttersoftened; divided
  • 1 cup packed200 gBrown sugar
  • 2 large100 gEggsroom temperature
  • ½ cup (120 ml)120 gButtermilk, low-fatroom temperature
  • 2 tsp8 gVanilla extractdivided
  • 1 cup225 gCream cheesesoftened
  • 1½ cups180 gPowdered sugarsifted
  • ⅓ cup35 gUnsweetened cocoa powdersifted
  • 1 tsp4 gCanola oilfor the pans

Steps

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Brush two 8-inch round cake pans with the canola oil and line the bottoms with parchment.
  2. Divide the butter: set aside 115 g for the cake and 55 g for the filling. Divide the vanilla: 5 g for the cake and 3 g for the filling.
  3. In a bowl, whisk the cake flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
  4. In a large bowl, beat the cake portion of the butter with the brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the cake portion of the vanilla.
  5. Stir the mashed banana into the buttermilk.
  6. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in three parts, alternating with the banana mixture in two parts, mixing just until combined.
  7. Divide the batter evenly between the pans and smooth the tops. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
  8. Cool the cakes in the pans 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool completely, about 1 hour.
  9. For the filling, beat the cream cheese with the filling portion of the butter until smooth. Add the powdered sugar and the unsweetened cocoa powder and beat on low until blended, then add the filling portion of the vanilla and beat until fluffy.
  10. Set one cake layer on a plate and spread with half of the cocoa filling. Top with the second layer and spread the remaining half of the filling over the top. Chill 15 minutes to set, then cut into 12 slices. Keep leftovers refrigerated.

Food safety: Don't taste raw dough or batter: raw flour and raw eggs can carry germs.

Contains: Milk, Egg, Gluten.

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Saved in the Every Helping recipe book on October 24, 2026.

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