Many of us might be starting a new health diet this year and I tell you, it’s hard to pass up sweets. If you still want something sweet but not too terrible, this banana snack cake with fudgy chocolate frosting is the answer! It’s made with fresh bananas, honey instead of sugar, and maybe a little fudgy frosting just to cure your mid-week blues. I’m not saying it’s a “healthy” dessert, but it’s at least a little lower on the spectrum. 😁 Ripe bananas, salty butter, and rich chocolate frosting really make this the yummiest one layer cake.

what is a snack cake?

Basically, a snack cake is a single layered cake, normally small in size and easy to eat on the go. I love them because one, they’re easy and much less work than a 3 layered cake with all the fancy stuff, and two, they’re perfect to just grab a square and snack. I’m not saying cake is the best snack, but it is an option 😁… Oh, and three, making the swirls on top with icing is so relaxing and satisfying to watch. I don’t know what it is, but this icing swirls just make the cake so cute.

ingredients you need

• Bananas
• Oil
• Honey
• Eggs
• Flour
• Baking soda
• Ground cinnamon
• Vanilla extract
• Cream Cheese
• Butter
• Powdered sugar
• Cocoa Powder
• Milk

how to make the banana snack cake

This cake is super easy to whip up and comes together in one bowl. It’s the perfect balance between banana bread and fudgy chocolate cake. The best bonus? It all comes together in about 1 hour so if you need a quick treat, birthday cake, or to satisfy a sweet craving, it’s perfect.

I’m a sucker for a good banana bread, and this is very similar, just more cake like, obvi. There seemed to be a banana bread trend for a while at the beginning of COVID, but let’s face it, I will never stop making it ever!

Ok, ok…

Pre-heat your oven to 350 F. Grease a 9×9″ or 8×8″ pan with non-stick spray or butter.

In a small bowl smash 4 ripe bananas. It’s best if they’re super brown and over ripe because those will have the best flavor. Add the oil, eggs, honey, and vanilla to the eggs. Whisk to combine. It’s ok if it’s a little chunky.

Lastly, whisk in your flour and cinnamon until just combined. No over mixing here!

Bake. In 30 minutes, your house is going to smell amazing.

now, those fudgy chocolate swirls

The chocolate frosting is just as easy and frankly, could be eaten by the spoonful. You could really stick to a naked cake if you were going for more of a banana bread feel, but why skip this chocolate fudge frosting?

I don’t know about you, but I’m not a big fan of frosting, especially when it’s overly sweet and dominates the flavors of everything. 😝 This frosting has a little bit of cream cheese and just a small portion of powdered sugar so the sweet chocolate flavor really comes out. You could use a dutch processed cocoa powder, which is darker and richer, but for this I just went with generic cocoa powder.

Cream your butter and cream cheese in a medium bowl until smooth. Next, add in the powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Continue to beat until smooth. Chances are, it will be quite thick, so if you need to, add 2-3 tsp of milk along with 1-2 tsp of vanilla extract.

Dollop your frosting right onto the cooled cake and swirl it around with a knife, spoon, or an offset spatula.

If you’re looking for a reason to make this, there is about a million. A birthday, gathering, sweet gift, or just because it’s a Tuesday and work is tiring.

I find that it’s perfect for any time or any season. The weather here has been a strange mix of warmth along with a small dusting of snow occasionally. I will be grabbing a slice of this no matter what.

Did you make this delicious banana snack cake? Please let me know down below or on Instagram @tuesday.treats. I love to hear from you guys and see how it goes! Let me know what other snack cakes you might want to see.

Want more delicious banana recipes, check this out:

• Best Ever Banana Bread
• Banana Crumble Muffins
• Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread