• Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Recipes
    • All Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Baking
    • Beverages
    • Desserts
    • Dressings and Condiments
    • Fish and Seafood
    • Mains and Meats
    • Pasta
    • Soups
    • Vegetarian
  • Contact
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

Harvesting Dinner

Celebrating The Everyday Feast

  • Recipes
    • All Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Baking
    • Beverages
    • Desserts
    • Dressings and Condiments
    • Fish and Seafood
    • Mains and Meats
    • Pasta
    • Soups
    • Vegetarian
  • The Local Forager
  • The International Forager
  • Food Musings

Subscribe to Harvesting Dinner via Email - get each fresh post in your inbox!

Join 172 other subscribers

The Art of Uncomplicated – Banana Chocolate Chip Pecan Cake

cakeIt is often flaunted around that success in baking is achieved only by following an exact science. That it is the precise measurement of ingredients and the perfect execution of step by step instructions that will yield the anticipated results. Baking often involves many different steps and tends to mess up the kitchen and dirty a fair bit of dishes. And for the most part, this is absolutely correct! We are often intimidated into trying new recipes because we fear the results… BUT, not all baking projects are created equal. While it is fair to admit that pastry, elaborate cakes, and specialty French desserts can be quite intricate and are truly works of art, there are those scrumptious desserts that are silly easy to make and nearly fool proof. This is one of these cakes. It is so uncomplicated; it almost is a sin it turns out so delicious! It requires zero skills, zero electric appliance, very simple ingredients and will dirty very few dishes. Yet, it is always a hit: it gets gobbled up pretty quickly in my home although it does hold well by staying fresh for a few days. You may be tempted to swap the butter with oil, and it can be done. However, I strongly recommend sticking to butter: it will yield a tender & moist cake with a crunchy crust.

On the subject of uncomplicated cakes that deliver the WOW factor, you may want to explore an older post in which I share two super easy cake recipes: a Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache and a Chocolate Raspberry Torte. The only way I can even try to convince you that the chocolate cake with ganache is absolutely divine is by telling this little story: last Saturday, I attended a birthday celebration for my dear friend Susan. It was a grown women’s sleep over complete with a potluck of delicious appetizers, copiously drenched with good wine and even better conversation. We were a small group, a total of seven of us. This winter party/birthday celebration has been going on for several years now and we always look forward to this little time out from normal life. These ladies often request I make the Chocolate Raspberry Torte but this time, I was given carte blanche. I know these chicks: they are chocolate FANATICS. I wanted to bring something I had not made for them yet. I was hoping the cake would be enjoyed by all… Well, I shouldn’t have worried: to say it was a hit is an understatement!!! I have brought this cake to many events in the past but never, ever has it been polished off in one sitting. Never say never!!! By bedtime, there was one lonely, tiny piece left which the birthday girl swiftly stashed away to enjoy the next day. They ate nearly the entire cake! Need I say more? I think that counts for complete endorsement of the deliciousness of this cake. Now back to the subject of this blog post:

BANANA PECAN CHOCOLATE CHIP CAKE

cake2This cake is super-fast to throw together. Pecans are optional! Because you pour it in one cake pan, it is even faster than making muffins. No power tools required!

Tools required: one 9X13 cake pan, 2 bowls, 1 whisk, 1 rubber spatula, 1 banana/potato smasher or a fork, measuring cups and spoons and of course, an oven!

What you need:

Dry

3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
Wet

2 eggs
1 cup melted butter
½ cup buttermilk
2 cups mashed ripe bananas (4 or 5 medium)
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup toasted pecans coarsely chopped (optional)
How to make it:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease your cake pan with butter. If you have parchment paper, I recommend using some to line the pan. Makes it easier to lift the cake out
  2. In one of the bowls, combine together all dry ingredients using whisk and set aside
  3. In separate bowl, combine eggs, bananas, butter and buttermilk. Whisk until well blended
  4. Have your chocolate chips and pecans ready. If you skip the pecans, you can add ½ cup extra chocolate chips.
  5. Add wet mixture to dry ingredients and mix well without beating. Once the dry ingredients are almost completely incorporated with the wet ones, add the chocolate chips and the pecans to the batter. Fold until all ingredients are just blended. Do not over mix or beat
  6. Pour batter into pan and bake for 40 minutes, until the top bounces back to the touch or when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean of batter (some chocolate may stick to the toothpick). I usually start checking a few minutes before the set time because each oven is different. If the top of the cake is still pale, I increase the time slightly before checking for doneness.

cake3

Note: I use mostly organic ingredients, including flour. Neutral oil, such as avocado or sunflower, can be substituted for butter although it may alter the flavour profile as well as the overall texture.

cake4

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Email

Baking// Desserts6 Comments

« Rolling in the Deep Dead of Winter with Cabbage Rolls
Reconnecting with Some Old Roots: Roasted Vegetable, Walnut and Cheese Rotini »

Comments

  1. laura lecce says

    January 26, 2016 at 4:52 pm

    This looks so good. I love chocolate and banana, a classic combination!

    Reply
    • Nathalie says

      January 26, 2016 at 5:28 pm

      Thank you Laura! I think my family purposely leave bananas to brown so that I will bake this cake :).

      Reply
  2. Leona Folusewych says

    January 26, 2016 at 7:52 pm

    And this is low calorie too right?

    Leona…..
    Sent from my iPad.

    >

    Reply
    • Nathalie says

      January 26, 2016 at 7:59 pm

      If you make it standing up and then eat it standing up, it is definitely low cal :).

      Reply
  3. Susan says

    March 7, 2016 at 7:11 pm

    This was easy to make and turned out just like the photo. However, it only lasted a day before it was gone! Great recipe!

    Reply
    • Nathalie says

      March 7, 2016 at 7:25 pm

      Thank you so much for leaving a comment 🙂

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Welcome!

My name is Nathalie. I was born in Montreal, lived in Germany as a child and now reside in Ottawa, Ontario. I started this blog hoping to find an outlet to the many one way conversations I have with myself about food! I am passionate about everything related to cooking. My kitchen is my hobby room but I also love to explore the many merchants of edible goodness out in the world: from my home town to my travels, food is at the center of everything! Meals are planned for sustenance but also for the simple pleasure of breaking bread... If nourishment was limited to taking in a specific amount of nutrient as fuel everyday, we would not have these intricate and amazingly powerful taste buds. I hope to entertain you with tales of a gustatory nature. Welcome to my blog!

Search This Site

Find Me On Facebook!

Come join me on the Harvesting Dinner Facebook Page for a little side dish of food conversation, fun links, and shared recipes.

As well, you can join my Facebook Group, For The Love of Food - Ottawa, where we can all share recipes, ideas, and talk about all things food!

Recently on the Blog

Omelets for Dinner? Potato and Zucchini Rustic Omelet

And they lived hapily ever after Roasted Cauliflower Soup

Still Life: Art in… Muffins! Pear, Almond and Chocolate Muffins

Globe Trotting in the Neighbourhood Dining at Fairouz, Ottawa

Under Pressure! Pressure Cooker Southwestern Style Chicken

Dive Into The Archives

Copyright © 2023 · Savory theme by Restored 316

Copyright © 2023 · Savory Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

 

Loading Comments...
 

    loading Cancel
    Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
    Email check failed, please try again
    Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.