Mini Banana Sponge Pudding With Chocolate Chips & Walnuts is the perfect individual dessert recipe for dinner parties. Little moist banana cakes with a gooey chocolate center and crunchy walnuts. Divine!
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❓Why this is the best recipe
- It's easy - This easy banana sponge comes together in no time and is super quick to bake as well. You can make the mini sponge cakes ahead of time and easily reheat them, too.
- It's an individual dessert - I love serving guests their own plated desserts at dinner parties. It certainly gives off more of a restaurant vibe.
- It's warm - A warm sponge pudding is so cozy, and the banana makes them unbelievably moist. You can serve this chocolate, walnut, and banana dessert in any season, and it rounds off a meal perfectly.
📖 Ingredients List
There are only simple ingredients in this mini banana sponge pudding, which you probably already have in your pantry.
- Almond flour - I love the moist nutty tones you get from an almond sponge cake, and it works so well with the banana flavor.
- Plain flour - A little flour (all-purpose flour or plain flour) adds a bit of extra lift and lightness to this mini banana sponge cake recipe. To make it gluten-free, use polenta flour instead.
- Sugar - Fine white granulated sugar (or caster sugar) is fine for this recipe.
- Eggs - Use room temperature eggs for best results. The eggs add richness and lift to this fluffy cake.
- Baking powder - This rising agent just adds some lightness to the banana walnut sponge.
- Banana - A ripe mashed banana gives the most amazing fresh banana taste to this easy dinner party dessert recipe whilst also helping the sponge to become unbelievably moist. Use a ripe banana or overripe banana for the best taste. Cut into pieces and then mash the sliced banana with a fork until it forms a banana puree.
- Chocolate chips - A teaspoon of dark chocolate chips in the center of each mini sponge cake gives the most delicious hit gooey melted chocolate. Use good quality chocolate chips, as cheaper varieties can go greasy when heated.
- Walnuts - Chopped walnuts give added texture, a glorious contrast to the soft and juicy sponge. You could also use chopped pecans, if you prefer.
See the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for full quantities and step-by-step directions on how to make mini banana sponges.
👩🏼🍳 How to make mini banana sponge pudding
Preheat the oven to 175C/350F (no fan). Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a large bowl until pale and creamy. Mix the baking powder and flours together, and fold into the eggs and sugar mixture to form a smooth batter. Stir in the mashed banana.
Line greased mini pudding basins with two strips of greased parchment paper. Fill them one-third full, then add a teaspoon each of chocolate chips and walnuts on top of the sponge mixture. Fill the rest of the mini cake pan, leaving a small gap at the top for the moist sponge to rise.
Bake for 15 minutes until the top of the pudding is golden brown and risen. Let each mini sponge cake in pudding basin cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.
Run a knife around the edge to loosen them, and turn them out by pulling on the strips of paper lining. Serve the baked mini banana sponge puddings warm, with fresh whipped cream, more chopped walnuts.
🌟 Top Tip
You can use a stand mixer or electric hand mixer to whisk the eggs and sugar together, but only until the mixture becomes pale and creamy. Do not over whisk, and this is easier to do when using electric whisks. I use a balloon whisk and do it by hand.
👩🏼🍳 Chef's Tips & Serving suggestions
- Always use room temperature eggs in baking for proper emulsification.
- Pour enough batter into the prepared mini cake molds before adding the chocolate and chopped nuts. This ensures a fluffy sponge layer on top before you find the crunchy and gooey melted chocolate center.
- Don't fill the pudding basins all the way to the top, as the batter will rise as it bakes. Leave around half an inch from the top.
- Always use a preheated oven. Measure oven temperature with an oven thermometer.
- You may need to adjust the cooking time if you double the quantities and make more of these dainty little banana desserts at the same time.
- As the moist banana pudding bakes, whip up some heavy cream (double cream) to spoon on top before serving with some extra crushed walnuts. Sometimes, I'll add a drizzle of caramel sauce or toffee sauce, too.
🍷 Wine pairing for banana sponge cakes
Serve a Vin Santo or sweet sherry with a chocolate banana sponge pudding.
Read more about food and wine pairing to elevate all your meals and dinner parties in style.
❄️ Storage & Freezing
You can make this mini baked banana sponge pudding recipe ahead of time and reheat them in the microwave before serving. It's one of the reasons I love it so much! Store any leftovers at room temperature wrapped in plastic food wrap to keep it nice and moist, and consume within 2-3 days.
Alternatively, freeze banana sponge pudding cakes by double-wrapping them individually in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. Defrost and consume within one month.
🥣 Equipment
Always weigh ingredients by the gram using a digital scale for best results. Baking is about accuracy! I usually whisk the eggs and sugar by hand in a large mixing bowl using a balloon whisk, but you can use an electric mixer if you prefer. Just take care not to overwhip them if using an electric hand whisk or stand mixer. Then, fold in the dry ingredients with a rubber spatula to avoid knocking air out, keeping the sponge as light and airy as possible.
Bake mini banana sponge cakes in mini pudding basins (mini pudding molds). Line them with two strips of parchment paper to make it easier to gently tug the dessert out after baking. Alternatively, you can bake in individual ramekins and not turn them out, simply serve them as they are.
❓Recipe FAQ
Use very ripe bananas in desserts like banana bread or baked banana sponge pudding as they give both moisture and natural sweetness to the dish and add flavor.
Chocolate and nuts pair well with bananas, particularly pecans, peanuts and walnuts.
🍽 Other easy dessert recipes
Looking for other dinner party recipes like this banana sponge pudding? Try these:
Have you tried this recipe?
If you make this recipe, I'd love to hear how it went! Please leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on the recipe card and consider leaving a comment as well. Your feedback helps other readers and is greatly appreciated.
📖 Recipe
Mini Banana Sponge Pudding With Chocolate Chips and Walnuts
Equipment
- 1 balloon whisk
Ingredients
- 3 eggs at room temperature
- 110 grams (½ cup + 1 tablespoon) white sugar
- 110 grams (1 cup + 1 tablespoon) almond flour
- 30 grams (¼ cup) plain flour /all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 banana mashed
- 4 teaspoons chocolate chips
- 4 teaspoons walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 175℃/350℉ (no fan).
- Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a mixing bowl for a few minutes until they become pale and creamy.
- Mix the almond flour, all-purpose flour, and baking powder together, and then fold them into the eggs and sugar mixture. Stir in the mashed banana.
- Grease 4 mini cake tins/pudding basins and line with two strips of greased parchment paper (baking paper).
- Fill the pudding basins one-third, then add a teaspoon each of chocolate chips and chopped walnuts to the center of each one. Pour the remaining banana sponge cake batter over it, leaving a small gap at the top for them to rise. Place them onto a baking tray.
- Bake the mini banana sponge puddings for 15 minutes or until the top is golden brown and remove from the oven. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before turning out.
- Serve each mini banana sponge pudding warm and topped with freshly whipped cream abd more chopped walnuts.
Notes
- For best results, always weigh ingredients by the gram using a digital scale.
- Always use room temperature eggs in baking.
- You can replace the plain/all-purpose flour with polenta flour to make this dessert gluten-free.
- Use the strips of parchment paper to help you gently tug the sponge out of the tin. Run a knife around the edge to make it easier if necessary.
- This mini sponge cake recipe can be made ahead of time and reheated in the microwave.
- Store wrapped in plastic food wrap to maintain its moist texture.
- It also freezes well, wrap each sponge pudding in plastic food wrap and aluminum foil and use within 1 month.
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