TheKitchn.com

If you're feeding a crowd or don't want to assemble and frost a layer cake (or both), sheet cakes are the answer. Pour a simple batter into a 9-by-13-inch pan, whip up a frosting as it bakes, then slather it on and slice it into squares.

But just because they're easy doesn't mean you can't have fun with the flavors. Instead of limiting myself to vanilla or chocolate, I took a look around my kitchen, saw the bunch of ripe, spotted bananas on my counter, and I was immediately inspired to make a moist, chocolate-y banana cake with a salted peanut butter frosting. The results were just as delicious as I had anticipated.

The secret to better banana cake? More bananas

A former boss of mine once told me that the best indicator for a good banana bread recipe was how many bananas it called for: the more bananas, the better the bread. That rule stuck with me (and certainly applies to all banana baked goods), so this cake packs in a full two cups of mashed bananas, from about four to five ripe bananas. The fruit packs in real banana flavor, adds a natural sweetness, and makes the cake incredibly moist.

I knew I needed a fluffy frosting that would complement this banana-forward cake and not overpower it, so I opted for a cream cheese peanut butter frosting. Peanut butter is a natural pairing for banana, and the addition of tangy cream cheese (and flaky sea salt!) keeps the frosting from tasting too sweet.

Bring this to a book club, serve it at a birthday party, or enjoy it with the family as an afternoon snacking cake. If you're serving someone with a peanut allergy, use sunflower seed butter in place of peanut butter in the frosting.

Chocolate Banana Cake

Makes 1 (9-by-13-inch) sheet cake

For the cake:

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