This moist and fluffy, healthy chocolate banana cake with buttermilk is very easy to make. It’s an everyday cake but topped with a delicious, low carb cheese frosting this simple cake becomes a gorgeously indulgent dessert, perfect for any occasion.
This easy healthy chocolate banana cake is a one bowl recipe that takes only 15 minutes to prepare. Low in sugar and fat, it is made with buttermilk and oil so it’s light, fluffy and super delicious!
Healthy Chocolate Banana Cake – Ingredients
Can chocolate cake be healthy?
Yes! There are many ways of making our favourite desserts a little healthier. I like to swap butter for vegetable oil, for example, which is what I’ve done in this cake recipe. I also try to use a moderate amount of sugar in my baking. For me too much sugar can sometimes overpower the overall flavour of a cake and that’s not a good thing.
Using bananas in a dessert recipe is a good way of adding natural sweetness so there is no need to add a huge amount of sugar. Thanks also to the bananas this simple chocolate cake is quite moist.
In addition to the healthy oil and a moderate amount of sugar this easy homemade chocolate cake also contains buttermilk. You can use kefir instead if you prefer – both are super healthy ingredients, delicious as beverages but also great in bakes. Together with the oil they produce light and fluffy bakes. I love to use them in pancakes recipes as well!
I also like to use cacao powder which is a little healthier than cocoa, but either one is fine in this recipe. (You might also like this collection of 27 everyday healthy cacao recipes).
How to make easy low carb chocolate cheese frosting
The creamy chocolate frosting is a combination of cheese and yogurt, icing sugar and cacao (or cocoa if you prefer). Although this chocolate cake is delicious on its own, the simple frosting makes it a little more special, perfect for any celebration.
It’s very easy to make too. Just mix together the cheese and yogurt, then combine the cocoa and icing sugar with half the cheese mixture. Roughly stir the mixtures together and spread over the top of the cake, swirling gently.
How to make healthy chocolate banana cake
First combine the dry ingredients and stir thoroughly using a whisk. In another bowl combine the rest of the ingredients (gradually, see Instructions). Then simply combine the 2 mixtures and stir only until the dry ingredients are no longer visible. Pour the cake batter into your tin and bake!
You don’t need an electric mixer to make this chocolate and banana cake recipe!
What you will need
A whisk
A large spoon
2 large bowls
1 x 24 cm round spring-form tin
If you’ve made this cake let me know how it turned out for you! Did you enjoy it with or without the frosting?
Healthy Chocolate Banana Cake with Buttermilk
Ingredients
- 320 g flour
- 60 g cocoa or cacao powder
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1/3 tsp fine sea salt
- 3 medium ripe bananas, mashed
- 3 medium eggs
- 150 ml good vegetable oil, I used rapeseed
- 250 ml buttermilk or kefir
- 170 g caster sugar
- 100 g light brown sugar
- 2/3 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
For the Frosting
- 200 g low fat mascarpone cheese
- 200 g Greek yogurt
- 100 g cream cheese
- 4 tbsp cocoa/cacao powder
- 6 tbsp icing sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F/ 180 C/ gas mark 4. Line the bottom of a 24 cm round springform cake tin with non-stick baking paper. Grease the sides with a little oil and dust with flour. Turn the tin upside down to remove excess flour. Set aside.
- In a bowl combine the flour, baking powder, soda, cocoa/cacao and salt and stir thoroughly using a whisk, removing any lumps.
- In another large bowl combine the eggs and oil and whisk together until smooth. Add the sugars, vanilla and buttermilk/kefir and continue whisking until smooth. Pour in the mashed bananas and stir thoroughly. Pour in the flour mixture all at once and stir using a large spoon only until the dry ingredients are no longer visible. The mixture will be lumpy.
- Pour the cake batter into the tin and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let cool in the tin for 15 minutes. Then remove the sides of the tin and allow to cool completely before serving.
- To make the frosting combine the mascarpone, cream cheese and yogurt and stir thoroughly. Transfer half of the mixture into a separate bowl, add the cocoa, icing sugar and stir until smooth and combined. Add the remaining mixture and stir a little. Once the cake has cooled completely spread the frosting over the top, swirling gently. Enjoy!
Nutrition
More chocolate cake recipes
Coconut Chocolate Cake with Cherries
Pumpkin Cake with Dark Chocolate Drizzle
Pin Healthy Chocolate Banana Cake with Buttermilk
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RECIPE LINK PARTIES
I am bringing this easy banana chocolate cake recipe to #CookBlogShare, hosted this week by Easy Peasy Foodie. Also sharing with Fiesta Friday, hosted this week by Judi @ cookingwithauntjuju.com and Alex @ Turks Who Eat.
Hi, I am Monika, welcome to Everyday Healthy Recipes! This blog is all about creatively simple recipes with a healthy twist, old classics with a modern take, and an occasional Polish dish thrown into the mix - all easy to make, healthy and delicious, perfect for everyday cooking. 
Your frosting got my attention and I’m thinking this can’t be healthy – I mean its chocolate! I’ve been cutting back on sugar in recipes too as well as salt – I think there is too much of both in many dishes. Great recipe Monika and one I would definitely make. Thanks for bringing this cake to Fiesta Friday.
Thank you Judith! I completely agree that many dishes/products contain too much sugar and salt. This cake, for example is sweet though quite low in sugar in comparison with other chocolate cake recipes I checked. Happy FF!
This looks so yummy. I’d love to try this one out for the holiday season. Thanks for FiestaFriday.
Thank you! It’s very easy to make!
This cake looks so good! I think the way the icing has been put on makes it look really tempting and of course it’s great that it’s healthy too.
Thanks Corina! I thought about the styling of this cake long and hard;)
Sounds delicious! My daughter really loves banana chocolate cake and trying out new recipes.She always have some in the freezer for her breakfast. I am sure she will love this recipe and can find all these ingredients in our home.
Thanks! Hope she likes it if she does make it!
This sounds amazing Monika – I love the look of that marscapone frosting – so so good!
Thanks Mandy!