Banana Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

This banana chocolate chip bundt cake is the perfect addition to your brunch table. It is super moist, perfectly banana flavored, studded with mini chocolate chips, and has a delectable espresso glaze on top.

This is the best cake to make in a pinch. You need limited supplies (no mixer required!) and only a few ingredients. Whether it’s for a lavish brunch or after dinner with a piping hot cappuccino, you will not be able to stop at once slice.

Why you will love this banana chocolate chip bundt cake

1. Soft & fluffy banana cake. Bananas in cake form make for a fluffy but moist texture. This bundt cake is the same texture as your classic banana bread, but with mini chocolate chips scattered throughout.
2. Espresso glaze. The espresso glaze on top ties the whole dessert together. Made with espresso powder, you can control how strong the coffee flavor is in your glaze. This, paired, with the sweet banana cake balance each other wonderfully.
3. No mixer required. Who doesn’t love an easy recipe that doesn’t require a mixer? All you need is a large bowl and a whisk and you’re good to go!

Key ingredients

• All purpose flour: all purpose flour is the flour of choice for this recipe. It yields the perfect soft and tender crumb for the bundt cake.
• Leavener: baking soda is used in the cake to help it rise and give it that fluffy texture.
• Butter: we use unsalted butter in this recipe to control exactly how much salt goes in.
• Fats: the other key fats in this recipe are the eggs and whole milk. All of these ingredients add moisture to the cake.
• Sugar: granulated sugar is used to add sweetness in the cakes. We also use powdered sugar in the glaze.
• Bananas: use 2 large bananas for this cake, but please use a kitchen scale if you have one. The mashed bananas should weigh 300 grams.
• Chocolate chips: mini chocolate chips work best in this recipe.
• Espresso powder: espresso powder is preferred in the glaze because of the smaller size granules. Regular instant coffee powder works well, too, but I would make sure to strain the mixture before mixing everything together.

Steps for the banana cake

1. Whisk dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
2. Whisk wet ingredients. Whisk together the melted butter, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well in between each addition. Add the mashed bananas and whisk.
3. Combine. Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until almost combined, then add half of the milk and whisk until almost combined. Repeat with the other halves of the dry ingredients and the milk. Add the mini chocolate chips and fold until incorporated.
4. Bake. Pour the batter into a properly prepared bundt pan and bake at 350F for 45-55 minutes. Let the bundt cake cool for no longer than 10 minutes in the pan before inverting it onto a cake rack to cool completely.
5. Make the glaze. In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the milk, vanilla extract, and espresso powder until the coffee granules have dissolved. Mix with the powdered sugar and whisk until combined.
6. Enjoy! Pour the glaze on the cake, slice, and enjoy!

Troubleshooting

My cake is dry.

Dry cakes are most likely from over measuring the flour. The best way to measure flour is with a kitchen scale – if you don’t have a kitchen scale, spoon the flour into a measuring cup then level it off with a knife. Over baking can also result in a dry cake. It is finished when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.

My cake sank.

Either the batter was over-mixed or the cake was underbaked. It is also possible that your oven has poor air circulation and the cake needed to be rotated, or the door was open/closed too fast and all the hot air was pushed out of the oven.

I can’t get my cake out of the bundt pan.

Nothing stinks more than when you bake up a beautiful bundt cake but can’t remove it from the pan. In order to ensure this doesn’t happen, generously coat the pan with melted butter, then dust with all purpose flour. I sometimes dust a little cocoa powder on top of the all purpose flour, just to be safe.

For any other troubleshooting questions, feel free to leave me a comment below or message me on Instagram!

Cake baking tips

1. Use a kitchen scale. I cannot stress this enough – a kitchen scale is the only way to ensure accurate results. They are cheap and will make cleaning up SO much easier.
2. Properly prepare your pan. Make sure to coat your pan with melted butter and dust with all purpose flour to ensure that you can remove the cake from the pan seamlessly.
3. Use an oven thermometer. Making sure your oven is calibrated correctly and is at the right temperature is incredibly important for cakes. This recipe was written for the cake to bake at 350F – any higher and the cake can over-bake or rise then sink, any lower and the cake will come out underbaked.
4. Use overripe bananas. The blacker the bananas, the better. The more spots they have all over them, the sweeter they will be and the more the banana flavor will shine.
5. Use espresso powder over instant coffee powder. Espresso powder usually has finer granules than regular instant coffee powder, which makes them dissolve easier. If you use instant coffee powder, strain the mixture before mixing everything together.

Prep and storage

1. Can I make the cake ahead of time? You technically can, but I would advise against it. Bundt cakes can be tricky to freeze, and you don’t want to run the risk of drying it out.
2. Can I make the glaze ahead of time? I wouldn’t. A glaze like this one can harden, and then you won’t have that smooth, glossy texture anymore.
3. Store the baked cake in an airtight container. Any cake exposed to air will become dry pretty quickly, so make sure to secure it properly. Cut the cake into slices then store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Baking in grams

While I provide volume measurements for the recipes on my blog, I highly suggest baking these recipes using weight. It is the most standardized and accurate way to bake. I carefully recipe test all of my recipes using a kitchen scale, not by using cups, and therefore I cannot guarantee the success of my recipes when using volume measurements.

Other recipes you may like

• Chocolate Nutella Banana Cake
• The Ultimate Chocolate Cake
• Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread
• Mini Chocolate Cake
• Double Chocolate Sheet Cake

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Tried this recipe? Make sure to rate and review and tag @sturbridgebakery on Instagram!