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Home » Recipes » Sweets & Desserts

Banana Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake

Square headshot image of Family Food on the Table's Kathryn Doherty.
By Kathryn Doherty · Modified: Jun 20, 2025 · Published: Oct 7, 2016 · This post may contain affiliate links
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Banana pumpkin chocolate chip cake is slightly healthier but with rich chocolate flavor, a hint of cinnamon and tall thick slices for a delicious fall dessert!

A spatula lifting up a tall, thick slice of a banana pumpkin chocolate chip cake from a cake tin.


 

Today, we eat cake.

Pumpkin chocolate chip cake. Banana pumpkin chocolate chip cake.

Warm, rich pumpkin-infused chocolate flavor with hints of cinnamon spice in every bite. It's sweet, it's moist and the slices are OH so tall!

This cake is your fall baking project homework. You just gotta make it!

A spatula removing a big slice of a banana pumpkin chocolate chip cake.

Now, you know me, I healthified this cake a bit.

Healthy Swaps:

It uses whole wheat flour. I always opt for white whole wheat flour - all the healthy and whole grain benefits of whole wheat flour but it's lighter and not that big of a taste difference from all-purpose flour.

It's naturally sweetened, with banana and honey.

There's just ¼ cup of butter for the entire cake. Not bad.

A blue mixing bowl with a pumpkin cake batter with a pile of chocolate chips on top before being mixed in.
A baked cake in a springform pan with a colorful fall themed kitchen towel nearby.
A spatula removing a slice of pumpkin chocolate chip cake from a springform pan.

Check out my other healthy fall baking recipes for more inspiration!

Recipe Notes:

You don't really taste the banana in the cake. It just adds sweetness and texture and helps keep this lightened up a bit.

Don't sub applesauce for the butter. I tried this - cause I do that often in baking -- and the texture came out a little funny. I think the triple combo of banana, pumpkin and applesauce was just too much.

This cake should be stored in the refrigerator after the first day. (I tend to do this with all baked goods containing banana; they can get a funky taste if they sit out too long.)

A fork holding a bite of a cake alongside a tall, thick slice on a white plate.

I hope fall is treating you well. And I hope your weekend is full of some fun baking projects. Like this one.

Enjoy!

XO,

Kathryn

A fork resting on a white plate set on a green napkin with a tall, thick slice of a pumpkin chocolate chip cake.
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4.80 from 5 votes

Banana Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake

This (slightly) healthier banana pumpkin chocolate chip cake is a delicious fall dessert!
Prep Time15 minutes mins
Cook Time40 minutes mins
Total Time55 minutes mins
Yield: 12 servings
Substitutions
More Recipes

Ingredients

  • 2 ½ cups white whole wheat flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 large ripe bananas, mashed
  • 3 large eggs, beaten
  • 1 heaping cup pumpkin puree
  • ¾ cup honey
  • ¼ cup milk (any kind)
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 ¼ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350.
  • In a large bowl, mix the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
  • In a separate medium bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Add the eggs and whisk together. Then add pumpkin puree, honey, milk, butter and vanilla and stir well to combine.
  • Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
  • Pour the batter into a well-greased 9-inch springform pan.
  • Bake at 350 for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  • Remove the outer ring of the springform pan and let the cake cool before slicing and serving.

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Notes

This cake should be stored in the refrigerator after the first day. (I tend to do this with all baked goods containing banana; they can get a strange taste if they sit out too long.)

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 328kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 52mg | Sodium: 264mg | Potassium: 242mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 224IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below or follow me on Instagram @familyfoodonthetable and tag me in your photo!
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Comments

  1. Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says

    October 07, 2016 at 7:14 am

    I'll take a slice for breakfast!
    Ahh! My iPhone 7 came in today and I have to pick it up...I'm scared though...I'm not good with change after having the same android for 7 years! But my case is black...always black 😛

    Reply
    • Kathryn says

      October 07, 2016 at 4:04 pm

      A woman after my own heart -- it's totally breakfast food 😉 You will LOVE the iPhone! May take a little getting used to, but it's so great!!

      Reply
  2. Dawn @ Girl Heart Food says

    October 07, 2016 at 8:44 am

    Yay for your new phone!! And purple? Nice!! I love both pink and purple....kinda hard to choose between the two. Your hubby's office was lucky to get some of this cake and good for you for not having it all in the house so you'd be eating it all. I know the feeling. I typically give away a lot of baked goods too. There's only so much hubby and I can eat...or allow ourselves to eat 😉 Pinning this one, of course! Love that it's 'healthified'<---that's cute. Have a great weekend! xoxo

    Reply
    • Kathryn says

      October 07, 2016 at 4:08 pm

      Definitely have to cut myself off sometimes and send the food away cause I have ZERO self-control 😉 Have a wonderful weekend, Dawn! XO

      Reply
  3. Tara | Treble in the Kitchen says

    October 07, 2016 at 9:45 am

    This is the kind of homework I LOVE doing 🙂

    Reply
    • Kathryn says

      October 07, 2016 at 4:11 pm

      Haha, right?! Have a great weekend Tara!

      Reply
  4. julie lindberg says

    October 09, 2016 at 11:11 am

    does this recipe work the same with regular white flour or do I have to adjust the amount?

    Reply
    • Kathryn says

      October 09, 2016 at 12:09 pm

      Hi Julie! Yes, you can substitute regular all-purpose flour here in a 1:1 ratio and it should work just fine. Hope you try it! Would love to hear what you think!

      Reply
      • julie lindberg says

        October 10, 2016 at 10:54 am

        Thank you Kathryn. I'm new to your site and I really like it. I think I see some yummy dishes (especially this pumpkin bread!) coming out of my kitchen now that the weather is cooling down!

        Reply
        • Kathryn says

          October 10, 2016 at 2:54 pm

          So happy you found me Julie! And yay for fall and all the fun baking projects!

          Reply
      • Alia says

        February 12, 2019 at 6:09 pm

        Can I make this in a bundt pan? (Buttered and floured)

        Reply
  5. Adina says

    October 10, 2016 at 3:51 am

    A perfect looking cake! I don't bake much with pumpkin but this recipe puts me in the mood for it! And I do the same with my cakes: give them to my husband to take to work, otherwise I end up eating too much of them myself. 🙂

    Reply
    • Kathryn says

      October 10, 2016 at 2:55 pm

      Thanks Adina! Glad I'm not the only one sending things out the door... I have ZERO self control with treats like this in the house! I'll eat them all hours of the day 😉

      Reply
  6. Heather says

    October 19, 2016 at 11:39 pm

    Do you have nutrition info for this recipe? Carbs specifically? My daughter is type 1 😉

    Reply
  7. Kathryn says

    October 20, 2016 at 2:02 pm

    Hi Heather! I don't have nutrition info on my site yet, but I'm looking into adding that. I just plugged this recipe into one of the calculators I'm considering and it shows 58 grams of carbs for one slice (if you cut the cake into 12 slices). I hope that helps!

    Reply
    • Jennifer says

      November 22, 2025 at 8:45 am

      5 stars
      I’ve made this several times for my family. I use gluten free 1 to 1 flour and a bunt pan. I sprinkle a little bit of powdered sugar on top & it comes out perfect every time. Thank you for the receipt.

      Reply
      • Kathryn Doherty says

        November 24, 2025 at 8:43 am

        Oh I'm so happy you love it Jennifer! Thank you for sharing! : )

        Reply
  8. Brooke says

    September 10, 2017 at 11:17 am

    I accidentally left the butter out and I am so worried! It's cooling now, do you think it will be ok

    Reply
    • Kathryn says

      September 10, 2017 at 1:41 pm

      Hi Brooke! It might be fine without the butter (it's not a lot). It'll lose some richness but if the batter seemed OK, the cake might turn out fine. Crossing my fingers for you! Let me know how it works out!

      Reply
  9. Alia says

    February 12, 2019 at 6:14 pm

    Will this come out well in a bundt pan? Do I just need to bake it a bit longer?

    Reply
    • Kathryn says

      February 13, 2019 at 6:42 am

      Hi Alia! Yes, I would think you could bake this in a bundt pan. It would need to be buttered and floured well, as you mentioned, and probably the bake time would be a bit longer. Would love to hear if you try it!

      Reply
  10. Nishi says

    October 12, 2019 at 11:16 pm

    Can I make this with almond flour or coconut or oat or quinoa flour ?

    Reply
    • Kathryn Doherty says

      October 14, 2019 at 8:06 pm

      I haven't tested this recipe using those flours, so I can't say for sure. My guess is that it would affect the texture as well as the cake's ability to rise a bit. Would love to hear if you try it though!

      Reply
  11. Dena says

    August 20, 2025 at 11:41 am

    5 stars
    This is divine! I topped it with a cookie butter frosting which went well with it. The cake would be great on its own too!

    Reply
    • Kathryn Doherty says

      August 21, 2025 at 7:44 am

      I'm so happy to hear you loved it Dena! And yum on that frosting!! : )

      Reply
4.80 from 5 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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Meet Kathryn

Hi there! I’m Kathryn Doherty, a cookbook author, mom of two, and devoted food and home cooking nut. I’ve got lots of easy recipes to help you get delicious food on the table for your family!

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