Peanut Butter Banana Layer Cake

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This peanut butter banana cake is comprised of three layers of banana cake frosted with a simple peanut butter buttercream. It's an easy no frills cake that you can make any time!

Yield: three layer 6-inch cake

Prep Time15

Cook Time35

Assembly Time25

Total Time1 15

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Author: Maryanne Cabrera

Ingredients

Banana Cake:

¾ cup unsalted butter (170 g), room temp, softened
1 cup granulated sugar (200 g)
3 large eggs , room temp
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 medium bananas about 1 ⅓ cup, ripe, mashed
3 cups all-purpose flour (390 g)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup milk, whole or 2% reduced fat (227 g)
¼ cup sour cream (57 g)

Peanut Butter Buttercream:

1 cup unsalted butter (226 g), room temp, softened
½ cup smooth peanut butter* (135 g)
4 cups confectioners' sugar (454 g)
4 Tablespoons milk or cream (57 g( or more depending on desired consistency

Instructions

Banana Cake:

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease and line three 6-inch round cake pans with parchment paper. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth. Add sugar and continue to mix until well combined. Scrape down sides of bowl as needed.
Add eggs one a time and mix until incorporated. Add vanilla and mashed bananas. Mix until combined.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, mix together milk and sour cream. (It does not need to be smooth)
Add 1/3 of dry mixture to mixing bowl and mix on low speed. Follow with half of milk mixture. Repeat and end with remaining 1/3 of dry mixture. Mix until there are no longer any dry streaks of flour in batter.
Distribute batter evenly among prepared cake pans. Smooth and level batter using a mini offset spatula or spoon. Bake for 30-35 minutes, rotating pan midway through baking. Insert toothpick in center of cake to check for doneness. If toothpick does not come out clean, bake for another 5-8 minutes.
Let cake cool in pan for 5 minutes. Loosen cake edges from pan using a mini offset spatula. Remove cake from pan and let cool to room temperature on wire rack.

Peanut Butter Buttercream:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using an electric hand mixer), cream together butter and peanut butter. Slowly add confectioners' sugar. Add vanilla and 4 tablespoons of milk. Mix until buttercream is smooth.

Assembly:

If necessary, level the tops of cooled cakes. Place one cake layer on cake stand or serving platter. Add peanut butter buttercream and smooth into an even layer using an offset spatula.
Place second cake layer on top. Add another dollop of buttercream and smooth into an even layer. Repeat with remaining cake layer.
Crumb coat the top and sides of the cake with buttercream. Let chill in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to allow frosting to set. Add a second coat of buttercream on the top and sides of cake. If desired, transfer remaining buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a star tip. Pipe a border along the top of cake. Garnish with sprinkles.

Notes

Buttercream recipe uses a no-stir homogenous peanut butter like Jif or Skippy. If you use a natural peanut butter that requires stirring, the buttercream may separate in the fridge.

Nutrition