You won’t believe how fluffy, moist, and rich this easy 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 easy recipe for 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! If you’re looking for more banana dessert recipes, 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 keep 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 large 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 dry ingredients.
5. Alternate with the wet 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 on a wire rack.
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 cake.
How To Quickly Ripen Bananas
If your bananas aren’t ripe enough to mash, you can heat them to soften and sweeten them. Be sure to cool the bananas completely before peeling them.
- Oven Method: Place the bananas (unpeeled) on a baking sheet. Bake at 350°F for about 10 minutes or until the skin blackens and the bananas are soft.
- Air Fryer Method: Place the whole bananas in the air fryer basket and air fry at 325°F for 8 to 10 minutes, or until blackened and soft, flipping halfway through.
If you are planning ahead and want to use freshly bought bananas within a few days, you can store them in a closed paper bag, and the ethylene they naturally emit will be trapped in the bag and ripen them faster.
Can I Use Frozen Bananas?
Yes, this is a great use for those super-ripe bananas you stashed away. Thaw the bananas first and drain off any excess liquid, then mash them and incorporate the mashed bananas into the recipe as directed.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- For a perfectly moist cake: Use a scale to measure your flour so you don’t add too much! 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.
- Make sure your bananas are very ripe. Or, follow one of my tricks for ripening them quickly. Under-ripe bananas are firm and flakey and can bake up into hard chunks throughout the cake. Overripe bananas are ideal and will blend into the batter better and keep the cake moist for days.
- Don’t over-mix the batter. Careful not to mix the batter too hard, or you’ll overdevelop the gluten, and end up with a tough cake.
- Add mix-ins. If you love walnuts in banana bread, consider adding finely chopped ones to this cake batter! You can also add 1 cup of very finely chopped chocolate, mini chocolate chips, or chocolate sprinkles for a fun twist.
- Make a layer cake. For a celebration or fancier presentation, bake this sheet cake a layer cake! Divide batter among two 8-inch round cake pans greased and lined with parchment paper. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes at 350°F. Spread the frosting between the layers and all over the outside. For a thicker layer, double the frosting recipe, or make the recipe as directed and smooth a thin layer on the outside for a naked cake effect.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can use a 1-for-1 gluten-free all-purpose flour designed for baking in this recipe. Substitute it directly for the same amount of regular all-purpose flour, but add an extra ⅓ cup of milk to the batter to account for the gluten-free mix being drier than regular flour.
Yes, you can bake and frost the cake up to 3 days in advance by covering and storing it in the refrigerator. Or, bake the cake layer, tightly wrap it in plastic wrap and freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight and top with frosting before serving.
The frosted cake will keep well when covered at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, I recommend covering it tightly with plastic wrap and storing it in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
You can also freeze banana cake! Place slices of the cake in individual airtight containers and freeze for up to 3 months for a quick and convenient dessert or snack.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Banana Cake recipe, then don’t forget to rate it and let me know how you got on in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
Banana Cake Recipe
Video
Equipment
- Stand mixer or electric hand mixer
- 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
- 3½ cups all-purpose flour (420 grams)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1¼ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened (227 grams)
- 1½ cups granulated sugar (300 grams)
- 1 cup light brown sugar (220 grams)
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1 (8-ounce/227g) block cream cheese
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened (113 grams)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4½ cups confectioners’ sugar (540 grams)
Instructions
For the Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 13×9-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 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
- For a perfectly moist cake: Use a scale to measure your flour so you don’t add too much! 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.
- Make sure your bananas are very ripe. Or, follow one of my tricks for ripening them quickly. Under-ripe bananas are firm and flakey and can bake up into hard chunks throughout the cake. Overripe bananas are ideal and will blend into the batter better and keep the cake moist for days.
- Don’t over-mix the batter. Careful not to mix the batter too hard, or you’ll overdevelop the gluten, and end up with a tough cake.
- Add mix-ins. If you love walnuts in banana bread, consider adding finely chopped ones to this cake batter! You can also add 1 cup of very finely chopped chocolate, mini chocolate chips, or chocolate sprinkles for a fun twist.
- Make a layer cake. For a celebration or fancier presentation, bake this sheet cake a layer cake! Divide batter among two 8-inch round cake pans greased and lined with parchment paper. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes at 350°F. Spread the frosting between the layers and all over the outside. For a thicker layer, double the frosting recipe, or make the recipe as directed and smooth a thin layer on the outside for a naked cake effect.
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