Sweet, salty, crunchy, soft, and chocolatey. This banana-flecked one layer cake with peanut butter ganache has it all - and it's simple to make. It's sure to be your new favorite cake.
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 very ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
4 ounces unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup sour cream or plain whole milk yogurt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup salted peanuts, chopped
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
1 teaspoon vanilla
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter an 8" cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
2. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to a bowl and whisk to combine.
3. In a second bowl, whisk together mashed bananas, melted butter, brown sugar, eggs, sour cream, buttermilk, and vanilla.
4. Gently fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients until nearly combined; add chopped peanuts and continue folding just until no more flour streaks remain.
5. Pour batter into prepared cake pan and bake until cooked through and lightly golden, about 50-60 minutes.
6. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Invert cake from pan and remove parchment.
1. Add chopped chocolate to a medium bowl.
2. In a saucepan, combine heavy cream, peanut butter, and salt, whisking until peanut butter melts. Heat on low just until bubbles start to form around the edges of the pan - do not boil!
3. Pour hot cream mixture over chocolate and add vanilla. Allow to sit for about one minute. Whisk to combine, starting in the center and slowly working outwards as ganache comes together. Mixture should be smooth and shiny with no chocolate lumps. If your ganache curdles and the fat starts to separate, it likely got too hot. Add a little cold cream, a tablespoon at a time, and whisk until it comes back together.
4. Pour ganache over cooled cake. If it's quite thin, it may need to sit for a while before you glaze the cake. It should be thick but pourable.
5. Decorate with chopped peanuts and coarse sea salt flakes, if desired.
