easy banana walnut cake with espresso fudge frosting
The most splendid use for browned bananas: a soft and moist sheetcake rippled with chopped nuts and swirled atop with a decadent whipped chocolatey frosting.
Ingredients
- 4 medium bananas, very brown/black
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
espresso fudge frosting
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 4 tbsp butter, softened
- 2 tsp instant espresso
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4-1/3 cup canned full-fat coconut milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 x 9 inch square cake pan with parchment.
- In a large bowl, mash the bananas until relatively smooth. Some chunks are ok. Whisk in the eggs, melted coconut oil, honey, and vanilla until combined. Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk until just combined. Fold in the walnuts with a spatula.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake 35-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center emerges with just a few moist crumbs. Let cool 10 minutes in the pan, then turn onto a wire rack to cool to room temperature. For faster chilling, pop the wire rack with the cake on it in the freezer for 15-20 minutes.
- To make the frosting, whip the powdered sugar, butter, espresso, cocoa, and 1/4 cup of coconut milk until fluffy and smooth. If needed, add 1-2 tablespoons additional coconut milk if you desire a more "whipped" texture.
- Frost the cooled cake thoroughly. Slice and serve!
Notes
*To store: Cake stores well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
*Coconut-free: Substitute the coconut oil with an equal amount of melted butter or a neutral oil (e.g. avocado or canola) and the coconut milk in the frosting for heavy cream.
*Honey substitute: Use an equal amount of maple syrup or brown sugar.