Learn how to make a monkey cake, made from banana cake layers, chocolate ganache, and peanut butter frosting.
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What you need to make a monkey cake
Components of a monkey cake
- Two 9-inch cake layers plus two cupcakes—I opted for banana cake batter that I split evenly between two 9 inch pans plus two muffin cups
- chocolate fudge frosting or whipped chocolate ganache to frost the cake and to draw the monkey face
- peanut butter frosting for between the layers and for the monkey face. , chocolate frosting, and peanut butter frosting
Special tools/equipment
- a cake board big enough to accommodate a 9-inch round cake plus two cupcakes so approximately 12 inches should do
- parchment paper
- offset spatula for frosting
- a serrated knife for levelling the layers of cake
- a piping bag with a round tip for any fine decorating or a freezer bag that you can use as a piping bag (just fill and cut one corner)
How to keep cake boards and serving plates clean while frosting
Genius idea: Cut out a parchment round for baking cakes from a big sheet of parchment paper, then use the scraps of paper to protect the cake board when icing and decorating!
How to make a layer cake look like a monkey face
Once you've stacked and assembled the banana cake layers with frosting, you can then cover the entire cake with chocolate fudge frosting or ganache, and then apply the monkey face with peanut butter frosting.
Add the eyes, nose, and mouth with chocolate ganache frosting. This is where you . may want to use a piping bag.
For the ears, cover the cupcakes entirely with chocolate frosting, then add peanut butter frosting to the tops to give more shape to the ears (see photos). Stick the ears on either side of the monkey face.
The combination of banana, peanut butter, and chocolate is always a huge hit. The cake layers are firm but moist, and with just enough banana flavour that is not overpowering. To cut down on the sweetness of the decorated cake and to make it more "adult-friendly," I opted to use an unsweetened, lightly salted natural peanut butter to make the peanut butter frosting, and semi-sweet dark chocolate (60–70 % cocoa content) for the chocolate ganache.
If you aren't in the mood for a monkey cake and rather something a little simpler, try this banana snacking cake with chocolate frosting.
Monkey cake: Banana cake with chocolate ganache and peanut butter frosting
Here's how to make and decorate a monkey cake. Start with layers of banana cake (for the face) and two cupcpakes (for the ears), then frost with chocolate and peanut butter frosting and decorate to look like a monkey face.
Servings 24
Calories 491kcal
Ingredients
Banana Cake Layers
- 345 grams (2¾ cups) bleached all-purpose flour
- 7.5 mL (1½ teaspoon) baking powder
- 5 mL (1 teaspoon) baking soda
- 2.5 mL (½ teaspoon) Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
- 170 grams (¾ cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 250 mL (1 cup) mashed banana, make sure the bananas are ripe!
- 60 mL (¼ cup) sour cream (14% fat), or yogurt (2 % fat)
- 5 mL (1 teaspoon) pure vanilla extract
- 330 grams (1⅔ cups) granulated sugar
- 4 large egg(s), room temperature
Chocolate ganache frosting
- 455 grams (1 lb) dark chocolate, chopped
- 500 mL (2 cups) whipping cream (35 % fat)
Peanut butter frosting
- 375 mL (1½ cups) creamy peanut butter, I used natural, organic peanut butter
- 115 grams (½ cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 250 grams (2 cups) icing sugar
- whole milk (3.25 % fat), Enough to obtain a spreadable consistency
Instructions
To make the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare two 9-inch round cake pans by greasing, lining the bottom of each with parchment, and then greasing and flouring them, tapping out the excess flour. Set them aside for later, saving the parchment scraps for when you decorate. Do the same to two cups of a 6-muffin pan, but don’t line the bottom of the cups with parchment. Set the prepared muffin pan aside for later.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set the dry ingredients aside.
- In a small bowl, mix together the mashed banana, yoghurt, and vanilla. Set aside the banana mixture for later.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and granulated sugar on medium-low for a few minutes, until it is light. Scraped down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, as needed.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing on medium-low between each addition, and scraping down the bowl as needed.
- Add one-third the dry ingredients, mix well and scrape down the bowl, and then half the banana mixture. Repeat this again with half the remaining dry ingredients, and the rest of the banana mixture. Finish by adding the last of the dry ingredients, and mix well, scraping down the sides of the bowl to make sure every ingredient is evenly incorporated.
- Divide half the batter between the two prepared cake pans. Scoop out about ⅓ cup from each cake pan, and transfer to each of the muffin pans. Fill the empty muffin cups half way with water.
- Bake the cakes for about 25 minutes (though the original recipe says 30–35 minutes). Check the cakes to make sure they are done by poking through the center with a skewer or cake tester. The skewer should come out clean.
- Transfer the cake pans to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the ganache frosting
- Heat the heavy cream in a quart-sized, microwavable container and microwave for 3 to 4 minutes on high, or until it just begins to simmer; be careful not to allow cream to boil over.
- Place the chocolate in a medium, heat-proof bowl. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let stand for 2 minutes (don’t rush this step), then slowly stir with a spatula. As you stir, the lumpy mixture will slowly blend together and become a thin, chocolate syrup.
- Let the syrup set at room temperature for a few hours, then transfer it to the fridge for another hour or so. When the ganache has a thick pudding-like consistency, transfer it to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whip it into frosting. Use right away, before it hardens any more.
To make the peanut butter frosting
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the peanut butter, butter, rum, and the powdered sugar until mixture is smooth.
- Add milk by teaspoonfuls until the desired, spreadable consistency is reached.
To assemble
- Line a 12-inch cake board with the saved parchment scraps.
- Trim the top off of one of the baked cake rounds so that it is flat and even. Peel the parchment lining off the bottom, and place it in the center of the board.
- Frost the top of this layer with a thin layer of both the ganache and peanut butter frostings.
- Peel the parchment lining off the bottom of the second cake round, and place it on top of the first. Do not trim this cake round. Frost the entire cake with ganache frosting.
- To fix the ears to the cake rounds, frost the bottom with ganache, and skewer them to the cake with toothpicks. Place them at opposite sides of the round. Frost the ears with ganache.
- With peanut butter frosting, fill in the ears, and paint on the monkey face. For the lines of the mouth, eyes, and nose, use a piping bag with a round tip and the ganache.
- Refrigerate the cake until you are ready to serve. To cut through the ganache layer, you may want to use a knife dipped in warm water.
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Notes
Cake recipe tweaked from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook, page 157.
Peanut butter frosting adapted from Bon Appétit, January 2003
Tried this recipe?Mention @bakesomethingawesome or tag #bakesomethingawesome!
Nutrition
Calories: 491kcal
Anonymous says
This cake was absolutely DELICIOUS and looked AMAZING!!
Torviewtoronto says
cake looks soft and delicious
Steph says
This is so CUTE!!!
Emily @ Life on Food says
So super cute! Love it!
Tina says
Great idea making this lighthearted looking monkey cake in follow up to the serious thesis defense! I am sure that it was delicious-chocolate and bananas were made for each other. Yum!
Sarah says
Darling cake! Looks like a perfect way to celebrate! I can't even imagine having to defend a thesis!
Kels says
This cake is adorable! I also love love love banana cake. Congratulations to both you and your friend E for your accomplishments!
Valerie says
haha i loooove that cake! Looks really cute and delicious, it's really well done!
Erin says
The cake is super cute! What a great way to celebrate after the defense. I am sure it was much appreciated!
Ann says
The cake looks amazing and sounds delicious! What a good friend you are and what a good friend you have! Congratulations to both of you!
The Daily Dish says
You are such a wonderful friend! What a beautiful cake and seriously - what a tribute to friendship. I am bookmarking this one for my daughter's next brithday. Brilliant! PS: Congrats to your friend (and to you!)
Arnie says
What a totally awesome cake. Thank you for posting it.
I intend to make it for my husband and his 2 work colleagues, because they always refer to each other as chimps 🙂
I know it will go down a storm 😀
Lisa says
Not only are the flavors pheomenal, but this cake is just too cute for words. I can't wait until one of my nephew's next B-Day..I have to make it!
Veronica Gantley says
Absolutely adorable! Thanks for sharing.
briarrose says
Adorable! Fantastic job on this cake.
Juanita says
That's awesome - the cake and the PhD! Well done to both of you 🙂
designjr says
Love this cheeky monkey cake! Congrats on the phd
Mable Hartmann says
I totally agree with you that defending the thesis can really be a big deal. And having successfully defended it can be a big plus! Writing thesis is just one part of the whole journey people have to endure. But good thing is that you successfully defended yours!
Samantha says
Made the monkey cake for my son's second birthday (avoided spiced rum) and it came out well. I am completely new to frosting but tried it from your recipe just for my son.
Many thanks for the recipe! 🙂
Natalie says
I followed the quantities faithfully but the cake has that soapy taste that you get then there's too much bicarbonate of soda. I'm so disappointed as it's a really cute design. 🙁
I'm glad it worked for others but I don't know why it didn't work for me.
Natalie says
Please ignore my previous 2* review. I think the problem was my baking powder, not the recipe.