Banana and Chocolate Marble Cake

I had some bananas in the fruit bowl that need using up and I normally make Banana Bread but I felt like a change and decided to make an old recipe, a Banana and Chocolate Marble Cake:

Its been years since I made this cake and I'm not sure why I left it so long :) Its a beautiful moist and fluffly cake that has a gorgeous banana flavour and a generous hit of chocolate. Its quick and easy to make and its all done in the electric mixer so clean up is minimal.

The cake itself is not overly sweet but the buttercream is of course. I like to top it with a chocolate buttercream because its yummy but you could also make a ganache or serve the cake by itself with a dusting of cocoa or icing sugar.
I remember making this cake with Maddi when she was little and we used the Betty Crocker ready made chocolate icing that you buy in a can (which she would eat by the spoonful if I wasn't watching). It worked just as well but its not as nice as a homemade buttercream. It is another option though if you are short on time and need to whip up a cake in a hurry :)

Marbling the batter is super easy. Once the banana batter is mixed you spoon half of the batter into five piles in a square tin. Then you add some cocoa to the remaining batter and spoon in four more piles to make a nine patch (don't you love when two of your hobbies interact?) Then its simply a matter of running a knife through the batter in spirals, like your gliding on ice, and the marbling appears.
Its not always perfect and in places you get all chocolate or all vanilla but it's the best way I know how to do it and hey, we are home cooks not pastry chefs right?

I'm so glad I resurrected this recipe - sometimes the older recipes are simply the best. I do love Banana Bread and I have quite a few recipes I make on a rotating basis, but this cake feels just a little bit special and it tastes amazing.

If you have a few over ripe bananas that need using up, this recipe is perfect. You will have a luscious cake ready to serve in no time and I'm sure it will become a family favorite.
If you would like to bake your own Banana and Chocolate Marble Cake then you can download the recipe by clicking the link or right click on the photo below and save it to your computer for later.