Coconut Banana Cake with Chocolate Frosting.

Kicking off the weekend with the dream team: banana, coconut, and plenty of chocolate. Roasting the bananas first makes this cake extra moist with mega banana flavor—no bland crumb here.

It’s a pretty, three-layer Easter/spring cake that feels fun but doable. If you love a light, whipped chocolate frosting with a hint of coconut… this is your cake.

You guys. This cake. I LOVE it.

I know I say this so often, but this cake is so good, words really cannot describe its deliciousness. If you like banana, coconut, and chocolate, you absolutely have to make this cake. Like no questions, you have to make it.

Not sure what’s going on this month, but I am in serious cake making mode. In the last two weeks, I have made so many cakes it’s insane. I have one for you today and two more to follow (assuming I can get the recipes right…it’s taking a bit of effort) all before Easter. So, plenty of cake coming your way.

It’s so weird how I go through certain food phases, but I am for sure in a cake phase. I figure it’s not a bad thing, I mean, everyone likes cake, right?

Yes, everyone likes cake…don’t try to tell me otherwise.

As you can probably guess by the mass amount of banana and chocolate recipes here on HBH, I pretty much adore the combo. Adding in sweet coconut to the mix just makes me adore it even more. So naturally this cake had to happen.

The real secret to this banana cake is the roasted bananas. Yes, roasted bananas. If you haven’t tried roasting your bananas yet, today is the day, because it is a game changer. My next banana recipe is going to be banana bread with roasted bananas, and I already know it’s going to be the best ever…

Anyway, this cake is loaded with banana flavor and I think that’s why I love it so much. Most banana cake recipes call for three or less bananas, and to me, that just did not seem like enough for a tall three layer cake. My recipe uses six whole bananas and while I know that might seem like a lot, trust me, it’s the right amount. Roasting the bananas makes them extra soft and sweet. In turn you get bananas that mash-up so well and provide you with the most moist and perfectly sweet cake ever.

Again, so good.

Since Easter and spring time inspired this cake, I also decided to stir in some sweet coconut for a nice tropical touch. For whatever reason, Easter makes think tropical, probably because growing up we would head to Florida at Easter.

Ahh, those were the days.

While the cake is the obvious star here, the frosting is very important as well. A lot of banana cakes are paired with a cream cheese frosting similar to that of a carrot cake. But you guys, you know me, if I’m making a banana dessert, it’s going to include chocolate. It’s just the way I have to do it.

Enter the chocolate frosting. It’s light, airy, very chocolatey, flavored with plenty of vanilla, and finished with a spoonful of coconut cream for even more flavor and the perfect whipped texture. It’s quite possibly becoming my new go-to frosting recipe. That’s how much I love it.

And when slathered all over this sweet coconut banana cake? Well…there’s nothing better.

So moist, so flavorful, and just so mouth-watering good.

I happened to make this cake while my brother, Brendan was in town, and I was so happy I did. Like me, Brendan loves bananas, chocolate, and coconut anything. This cake was right up his alley and I was pretty excited when he walked into my house the other day to say that it might just be the best cake he’s ever had.

YESSSS. Bren has been around the world and eaten some of this best food there is to eat, so this is a big compliment.

Meaning, if Brendan says it’s good, then you have to trust that this is a recipe worthy of your time.

Meaning, you should make it this weekend, as a test drive, and then make it again over Easter weekend, if you celebrate. And if you don’t celebrate? Just make it anyway, because it’s fun, and spring is near, and you need a little banana, coconut, chocolate sweetness in your life. Enough said.

Coconut Banana Cake with Chocolate Frosting

4.48 from 151 votes

24 servings

by Tieghan Gerard

calories 444kcal

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Prep30 minutes mins

Cook1 hour hr

Total1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

The real secret to this banana cake is the roasted bananas. Yes, roasted bananas. If you haven't tried roasting your bananas yet, today is the day, because it is a game changer. 

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Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 6 ripe bananas, peel on
• ▢ 1 cup canola oil
• ▢ 1 cup plain greek yogurt
• ▢ 3 large eggs
• ▢ 1 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• ▢ 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• ▢ 2 teaspoons baking soda
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut

Chocolate Frosting

• ▢ 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• ▢ 2 sticks butter, at room temperature
• ▢ 1 1/2-2 cups powdered sugar
• ▢ 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ▢ 1/2 cup canned coconut cream

Instructions 

• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease three 8-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter/spray with cooking spray.

  2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the whole bananas on the baking sheet. Transfer to the oven and roast for 20-25 minutes or until the tops of the bananas are blackened on the outside. Remove from the oven and let cool. Once cool enough to handle, remove the peel, and mash the bananas. 

  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a hand-held mixer) beat together the oil, yogurt, eggs, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice. Beat in the bananas, mixing until combined. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and mix until just combined. Stir in the shredded coconut. 

  4. Pour the batter among the 3 cake pans and bake 30-35 minutes, until the tops are just set and no longer wiggly in the center. Remove and let cool five minutes, then run a knife around the edges of the pan and turn the cakes out onto a cooling rack. Cover and let the cakes cool completely before assembling.

  5. To make the frosting, add the cream cheese and butter to a large mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla. Beat another 2-4 minutes or until the frosting is light and fluffy. Beat in the coconut cream until combined. 

  6. Place one cake layer on a serving plate or cake stand. Spread with frosting. Repeat with the remaining 2 cake layers. Frost the cake sides. Serve or store in the fridge for up to 2 days. Bring to room temp. before serving. 

Nutrition

Calories: 444kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 220mg | Potassium: 268mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 110IU | Vitamin C: 2.9mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 1.8mg

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

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The best slice of cake. The best.