You won’t believe how fluffy, moist and rich this banana cake recipe is. Bursting with banana, brown sugar, and cinnamon flavor, you won’t be able to get enough of this cake, especially when paired with a luscious cream cheese frosting.
All you need are a few simple ingredients, and you’ll have this banana cake ready in no time. It’s a low-fuss cake and is perfect for any occasion, from potlucks to birthdays. You’ll want to make this every time you have some ripe bananas! Want to make another banana-filled treat? Try my banana oatmeal cookies recipe, chocolate chip banana bread recipe, or banana pudding recipe.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Bananas — ripe mashed bananas add so much sweetness, flavor, and moisture to the cake. The more ripe your bananas are, the better.
Milk — whole milk adds a ton of moisture and flavor to the cake.
Lemon juice — adding lemon juice to the milk is like making buttermilk! It adds a delicious tangy flavor to the banana cake.
Butter — use unsalted butter to avoid the cake becoming too salty as the recipe has salt added. Make sure the butter is soft enough so your finger leaves a dent when you press into it. It’ll be challenging to cream cold butter.
Sugar — I use a combination of white and light brown sugar for this cake. Brown sugar helps keeps the cake soft and moist.
Cream cheese — be sure to use full-fat cream cheese and not the spreadable type from a tub. The full-fat cream cheese will give the frosting a tangy flavor and creamy consistency. Bring the cream cheese to room temperature, as you’ll end up with lumpy frosting if it’s cold.
How to Make Banana Cake
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the bananas, milk, and lemon juice.
2. Add the butter and sugars to the mixing bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment and beat at medium-high speed until light and fluffy.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until completely combined before adding the next. Stop and scrape down the bowl occasionally. Beat in the vanilla.
4. With the mixer on low, add some of the flour mixture.
5. Alternate with the banana mixture, and mix just until incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, then place on a wire cooling rack and let cool completely in the pan.
6. Add the cream cheese and butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy, then add the vanilla and beat on medium until combined. With the mixer on medium-low, gradually add the confectioners’ sugar. Spread frosting over the top of the cooled banana cake.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- A scale to measure your flour is highly recommended for the most accurate results. However, if you don’t have a scale, fluff your flour with a spoon and then spoon it into your cups before leveling it off with a knife. This method is the best way to measure flour without overpacking the measuring cup, leading to a heavy banana cake.
- Tap the cake pan on the counter a few times to pop any air bubbles and level out the batter in the pan for an even bake.
- For the eggs to easily incorporate evenly into your batter without overmixing, bring them to room temperature beforehand. If you forgot to take your eggs out of the fridge ahead of time, you could quickly bring them to room temperature by placing them in a large bowl and covering them with warm tap water for 5 minutes.
- An offset spatula is perfect for frosting the cake.
- Careful not to overmix the batter, or you’ll overdevelop the gluten, and you’ll end up with a tough cake.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this cake ahead of time?
Yes, you can make this banana cake ahead of time. You can store it with frosting, covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. Allow the cake to come back to room temperature before serving, so the cream cheese frosting softens.
Can I freeze this cake?
This cake is freezer-friendly! You can freeze this banana cake frosted or unfrosted, whole or sliced. To freeze, allow the cake to cool to room temperature before wrapping it tightly with plastic wrap and then tin foil. Store for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, thaw in the fridge overnight, bring to room temperature, and frost if needed before serving.
What if my bananas aren’t ripe?
If your bananas aren’t ripe enough to mash, place the bananas on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F for about 10 minutes or until the skin blackens and the bananas are soft. Allow the bananas to cool a bit before peeling them to mash.
If you have some close to ripe bananas and a little time, you can store them in a closed paper bag, and the ethylene they naturally emit will ripen them quicker.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Banana Cake recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Banana Cake
Equipment
- Stand mixer or electric hand mixer
- Mixing Bowls
- Cake pan
Ingredients
- 2 cups mashed ripe bananas about 4 bananas (466 grams)
- ½ cup whole milk room temperature (120 ml)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour (420g)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened (227g)
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar (300g)
- 1 cup light brown sugar 220g
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 block cream cheese (8-ounce/227g)
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened (113g)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar (540g)
Instructions
For the Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 13x9-inch cake pan with baking spray with flour.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the bananas, milk, and lemon juice. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixture with a paddle attachment, add the butter and sugars. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until completely combined before adding the next. Stop and scrape down the bowl occasionally. Beat in the vanilla.
- With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture alternating with the banana mixture, just until incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan.
- Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Place on a wire cooling rack and let cool completely in the pan.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the cream cheese and butter. Beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl as necessary. Add the vanilla and beat on medium until combined. With the mixer on medium-low, gradually add the confectioners’ sugar. Once fully incorporated, scrape down the bowl and beat again until fluffy, about 1 minute. Spread frosting over the top of the cooled cake. Store any leftovers covered and refrigerated for up to 4 days.
Notes
- A scale to measure your flour is highly recommended for the most accurate results. However, if you don’t have a scale, fluff your flour with a spoon and then spoon it into your cups before leveling it off with a knife. This method is the best way to measure flour without overpacking the measuring cup, leading to a heavy banana cake.
- Tap the cake pan on the counter a few times to pop any air bubbles and level out the batter in the pan for an even bake.
- For the eggs to easily incorporate evenly into your batter without overmixing, bring them to room temperature beforehand. If you forgot to take your eggs out of the fridge ahead of time, you could quickly bring them to room temperature by placing them in a large bowl and covering them with warm tap water for 5 minutes.
- An offset spatula is perfect for frosting the cake.
- Careful not to overmix the batter, or you’ll overdevelop the gluten, and you’ll end up with a tough cake.
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