Chocolate Banana Cake with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

• cooking spray
• 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 0.75 cup white sugar
• 0.5 cup whole wheat flour
• 0.25 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 0.5 teaspoon baking soda
• 0.5 teaspoon salt
• 2 large bananas, mashed
• 0.75 cup buttermilk
• 0.5 cup egg whites
• 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese (such as Philadelphia®)
• 0.25 cup creamy peanut butter
• 0.25 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 banana, sliced

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease two 8-inch baking pans with cooking spray.
2. Combine all-purpose flour, white sugar, whole wheat flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
3. Stir mashed bananas, buttermilk, egg whites, applesauce, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract together in a separate bowl. Add gradually to the flour mixture, mixing until batter is just combined.
4. Divide batter evenly between the prepared cake pans.
5. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes.
6. Combine cream cheese, peanut butter, confectioners' sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract in a large bowl; beat with an electric mixer until frosting is creamy.
7. Run a rubber spatula around the edges of the cooled cakes. Grease a baking sheet lightly with cooking spray. Invert cake pans onto the baking sheet; tap bottoms lightly to release cakes.
8. Spread frosting onto the cake layers. Stack layers; frost top and sides. Cut into 8 slices. Garnish with banana slices.