Peanut Butter Banana Layer Cake
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
Servings: 12
Ingredients
Banana Cake:
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, room temp
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 4 ripe bananas, mashed
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup milk, whole or 2% reduced fat
- ¼ cup sour cream
Peanut Butter Buttercream:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temp
- ½ cup smooth peanut butter*
- 4 cups confectioners' sugar
- 4-6 Tablespoons milk or cream, 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.