Name: Banana Nutella Cake
Ingredients: 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature; 3/4 cup light brown sugar; 1/2 cup white sugar; 2 large eggs, room temperature; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1 cup ripe mashed banana (about 2 bananas); 3/4 cup whole milk; 2 cups white all-purpose flour; 1 tsp salt; 1 tsp baking soda; 1/4 cup heavy cream; 1 cup Nutella; 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted; 1 tsp salt; 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature; 1 cup Nutella; 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted; 2 tbsp heavy cream; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1/2 tsp salt; 1 cup hazelnut halves; fresh flowers

This Banana Nutella Cake is a 3 layer banana cake filled with rich Nutella ganache and covered in Nutella buttercream frosting.

Eating Nutella straight out of the jar is one of my guilty pleasures. Maybe even my guiltiest… there is something so satisfying about a spoon and a jar of Nutella that I just can’t quit.

A few weeks ago I was indulging and dreaming up ideas for my birthday cake. You see, that is one of the perks of being a food blogger, you get to make your own birthday cake, so you get exactly what you want. I knew it was going to be Nutella something… and Nutella Banana just seemed like the perfect combo. I took it up a notch when I added the Nutella Ganache filling 😉

Banana Layer Cake

The key to a great layer cake is making sure your layers are even, sturdy and flat. When you think of banana and baked goods you usually think banana bread and not so much layer cake. Banana bread is usually moist and dense. This banana cake is lighter and fluffier because it uses less bananas and more flour than a banana bread would.

See my post 5 Tips for Making FLAT Layer Cakes for more tips!

How to Make Nutella Ganache

The Nutella Ganache is what really takes you to Nutella heaven when you bite into this cake. A thick layer of rich Nutella ganache separates the layers. To make it you heat heavy cream until it is just simmering, then melt in Nutella and add some powdered sugar to thicken. When you frost the cake you will need to build a short wall of frosting around the edges of the cake layers that will form a pool for the ganache! If you skip the frosting wall you will have a mess on your hands – a delicious mess, but a mess just the same.

Nutella Buttercream

Unless my birthday cake is an ice cream cake I will always choose buttercream frosting. The frosting is a very important choice and I do recognize that sometimes a cream cheese or whipped cream frosting can be a better choice. I will still eat these cakes, but they will not be my birthday cake.

Thick, creamy and delicious, I can’t get enough of this Nutella Buttercream. Take the extra time to sift the powdered sugar to make it extra creamy. The last step in making this frosting is to let it beat on high for 5 minutes, it might seem like a long time, but it makes it so fluffy and wonderful!

Make it Fancy

It’s your birthday – put flowers on your cake! Flowers, nuts, sprinkles, sparkling candles… dress it up! Let’s be honest, layer cakes take a bit of time and patience. So when you invest the time to make one you better take a little time to make is shine!

Banana Nutella Cake

Author: Sprinkles & Sea Salt
Yield: feeds 8-10 1x

Print Recipe

Description

This Banana Nutella Cake is a 3 layer moist banana cake filled with rich Nutella ganache and covered in Nutella buttercream frosting.

Ingredients

Scale

Banana Cake

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup ripe mashed banana (about 2 bananas)

3/4 cup whole milk

2 cups white all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

Nutella Ganache

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 cup Nutella

1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted

1 tsp salt

Nutella Buttercream Frosting

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup Nutella

2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

2 tbsp heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp salt

Decorations

1 cup hazelnut halves

fresh flowers

Instructions

Banana Cake

Preheat oven to 325°F

Prepare three 6″ cake pans – spray with non-stick spray, line bottoms with parchment paper, spray again

Add the butter, brown sugar and white sugar to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with blade attachment, beat on high for 2 minutes

Use a plastic spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl

Add eggs 1 at a time, mixing in between

Add the vanilla extract, mix

Scrape down the sides of the bowl

Add in the banana and whole milk, mix

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda

Slowly add the dry mixture to the mixer

Mix until the flour mixture is just fully combined

Divide the batter evenly into the 3 cake pans

Put the cake pans in the oven on the middle rack

Bake for 28-32 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle*

Cool cakes completely, let cool in the pans for about 10 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack

Nutella Ganache**

Add the heavy cream to a small, heavy bottomed sauce pan

Heat over medium heat

When cream starts to simmer, remove from heat and immediately mix in the Nutella to melt

Add the mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with blade attachment

Mix in the powdered sugar and salt

Transfer the ganache to a bowl and put in the refrigerator to cool and thicken, at least 30 minutes

Nutella Buttercream Frosting**

Add the butter and Nutella to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with blade attachment

Beat on high until smooth

Add in the slat and vanilla extract, mix

Slowly add in half of the powdered sugar, mix

Add in the heavy cream, mix

Add remaining powdered sugar, mix

Beat frosting on high at least 5 minutes until it’s light and fluffy

Cake Assembly

When the cake is completely cool, decide on the bottom layer

Place the bottom layer on your cake plate or stand***

Spread a thick layer of buttercream (about 1/2″ high and 1/2″ thick) around the top of the cake, this will serve as a wall to hold the ganache

Spoon the ganache into hole formed by the frosting wall on top of the cake

Add the 2nd layer on top and repeat with the frosting and ganache****

Add the 3rd layer on top of that

Use the remainder of the buttercream to frost the outside of the cake

If you are going to be serving the cake move on to Decoration now, if not refrigerate the cake until you are ready to decorate and serve

Decorate

Decorate the bottom of the cake with hazelnut halves (optional)

Crush up any remaining hazelnut halves and sprinkle the crushed hazelnuts on top of the cake (optional)

Decorate the top of the cake with fresh flowers (optional). Wash flowers well, cut the flowers so only about 1″ of steam remains, wrap the steam of the flour in plastic wrap then stick them into the top of the cake. Remove flowers before cutting the cake, do not eat the flowers.

Notes

*I use these cake bands around my cake pans to help the cakes bake even and flat.

**The ganache and frosting can be made up to 3 days in advance, keep refrigerated until about 30 minutes before frosting the cake

***I put a small dollop of frosting in the middle of the plate/stand to help hold the cake in place

****You may have some ganache left over, don’t over fill it or you will have a mess on your hands

Category: cake

Keywords: #nutellabananacake, #layercakes, #homemadecake, #birthdaycake

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If you make this Banana Nutella Cake, let me know how you like it! Leave a comment here and/or give it a star rating! If you snap a photo I’d love to see it – share it over on Instagram and tag me @sprinklesandseasalt!