Banana & Graham Cracker Cookie Dough Cheesecake Cake

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Make the one-bowl banana cake. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease and line three 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.
2. In one large bowl, add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, oil, yogurt, vanilla bean paste, mashed banana, milk, and apple cider vinegar. Whisk until completely smooth and uniform.
3. Add the cake flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt directly to the same bowl. Whisk gently just until the batter is fluid and glossy with no dry streaks remaining; do not overmix.
4. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans by weight and tap each pan lightly once or twice to release large air bubbles.
5. Bake for 22–26 minutes, beginning to check at 22 minutes. The layers are done when the centers spring back lightly and a tester inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs and no wet batter.
6. Cool the layers in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn them onto wire racks and cool completely. Refrigerate the wrapped layers until cold before assembly.
7. Make the graham cracker cookie dough. Beat the softened butter, brown sugar, and powdered sugar for about 2 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed, until pale and fluffy.
8. Add the vanilla bean paste and salt and mix until smooth. Add the prepared flour and graham cracker crumbs, then mix on low just until a cohesive dough forms. If the dough is too dry to hold together, add milk 1 teaspoon at a time only as needed.
9. Pinch the dough into loose pieces. If you want cookie dough for decorating, reserve a little, then divide the rest into two equal portions. Refrigerate until cold and firm.
10. Make the cheesecake frosting. Add the cool but pliable cream cheese, granulated sugar, sifted nutritional yeast, miso, lemon juice if using, and vanilla bean paste to a mixing bowl.
11. Mix on low just until completely smooth, creamy, and fully incorporated, scraping the bowl once or twice. Do not overmix. Cover and refrigerate until the frosting is cold and firm before assembly.
12. Prepare to assemble before removing the frosting from the refrigerator: place the cold cake layers, chilled cookie-dough pieces, cake board, offset spatula, and frosting within reach.
13. Place the first cold cake layer on the board and spread a very thin layer of cheesecake frosting over it. Distribute half of the chilled graham cracker cookie-dough pieces evenly over the frosting, leaving a little room near the edge.
14. Spread a modest, even layer of cold cheesecake frosting over the cookie dough. For beginning bakers, use less filling; keeping the layer conservative gives the cake more stability.
15. Top with the second cake layer and repeat the thin frosting layer, remaining cookie-dough pieces, and modest frosting layer. Add the final cake layer.
16. Apply a thin crumb coat, then refrigerate the cake for 20–25 minutes, or until firm. If the frosting softens at any point, refrigerate both the bowl of frosting and the cake until firm before continuing.
17. Apply the remaining cold cheesecake frosting in a smooth or softly swirled final coat. Decorate with graham cracker crumbs, reserved graham cracker cookie-dough pieces, or banana chips as desired.
18. Refrigerate the finished cake for at least 1 hour, and preferably 2 hours, before slicing so the layers and frosting can set completely.

Helpful notes

• Heat-treat the flour to 165°F, then let it cool completely before making the cookie dough.