Remember that time I told you about the best banana cake I’ve ever had?
I enjoyed obsessed over it at a family reunion the other weekend. My cousin made it and I stalked her down like a dessert creep and proceeded to talk her ear off about cream cheese frosting and spotty bananas for 35 minutes straight.
What? You don’t do that at parties?
It was the moistest cake I’ve ever eaten. Stick-to-the-back of your fork moist. The perfect cream cheese frosting, both sweet and tangy, sinking into the top of the cake made it even moister. Sweet, but not overpowering. Mega banana flavor, certainly more banana flavor than any banana bread I’ve ever eaten. Very buttery and cakey from creaming the butter and sugars. Ridiculously rich, decadent.
The banana cake was dense, but not heavy. If that makes any sense? (Coming from the lady who talks about rotting bananas at social gatherings, but stick with me here.) The crumb was very soft, but they were tight crumbs. The cake didn’t fall apart when you took a forkful.
She told me this cake comes out perfect every time she makes it. And such perfection is reinforced, she told me, when absolutely everyone who has a slice begs her for the recipe. It is, hands down, the best banana cake I’ve ever had.
And I haven’t stopped thinking about it since.
How to Make Banana Cake
The recipe starts with 1 and 1/2 cups (345g) mashed bananas, or about 4 medium or 3 large ripe bananas (above). Now, make sure those bananas are nice and spotty. The bananas you see above are just right (and it’s what you want for banana bread and banana muffins, too). More brown spots = sweeter, more banana flavor. Your cake will thank you. I simply mash the bananas in my mixer—the same mixer I use for creaming the butter and sugars. Beat the bananas on high speed for a minute, then transfer to another bowl. I don’t even wash the mixing bowl—just throw the butter right in and start creaming!
Can I Use Frozen Bananas?
Yes and I do this often. Thaw the frozen bananas at room temperature. Drain off any excess liquid, mash, then use as instructed in the recipe below. See How to Freeze & Thaw Bananas for Baking.
Here’s the batter. There will be some lumps.
One more thing to note: buttermilk. As you guessed, buttermilk is the moist-maker in this cake. The cake wouldn’t be what it is without it! You also need the acid in buttermilk to help the baking soda do its job. I rarely have buttermilk in my refrigerator, so I always sour whole milk instead. For this recipe, you need 1 and 1/2 cups of buttermilk. If you don’t keep buttermilk on hand either, measure 1 Tablespoon of fresh lemon juice or white vinegar. Pour into a liquid measuring cup. Then add enough whole milk until it reaches 1 and 1/2 cups. Stir together, let it sit for 5 minutes, then use in the recipe. To keep the cake extra rich, I recommend whole milk when you are souring milk.
Is this not the silkiest and smoothest cream cheese frosting you’ve ever seen? Well, it’s the silkiest and smoothest cream cheese frosting I’ve ever tasted! It’s pretty similar to our cream cheese frosting that we use for carrot cake, but there’s a little less cream cheese for the amount of butter. So, this makes the frosting a little more silky. And definitely more buttery!
There’s also a lot of cream cheese frosting. When you begin slathering it onto the cake, you’ll probably go “Sally, this is way too much frosting!” But it’s not. You want a nice thick layer. It’s essential.
If you love baking with brown butter, the brown butter cream cheese frosting from my zucchini cake would be fantastic here. If you are not into cream cheese frosting or just want to try something different, try it with traditional vanilla buttercream, this salted caramel frosting, or even white chocolate buttercream frosting instead. All are seriously delicious combinations!
The best banana cake I’ve ever had. We love it so much we turned it into a chocolate marble banana Bundt cake, too. And if you can’t get enough sheet cakes, you’ll want to try this fresh apple cake next!
PrintThe Best Banana Cake I’ve Ever Had
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 5 hours (includes cooling)
- Yield: serves 12
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This is absolutely the best banana cake I’ve ever had! It’s supremely moist with cream cheese frosting, tons of banana, brown sugar, and cinnamon flavor.
Ingredients
Banana Cake
- 1 and 1/2 cups (345g) mashed bananas (about 4 medium or 3 large bananas)
- 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) buttermilk, at room temperature*
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces (226g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 cups (360g) confectioners’ sugar, plus an extra 1/4 cup if needed
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and grease a 9×13-inch pan.
- Make the cake: Mash the bananas. I usually just use my mixer for this! Set mashed bananas aside.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy—about 1 minute. Add both sugars and beat on high speed for 2 minutes until creamed together. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the eggs and the vanilla. Beat on medium-high speed until combined, then beat in the mashed bananas. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the buttermilk and mixing each addition just until incorporated. Do not overmix. The batter will be slightly thick and a few lumps is OK.
- Spread batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 45–50 minutes. Baking times vary, so keep an eye on yours. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If you find the top of the cake is browning too quickly in the oven, loosely cover it with aluminum foil.
- Remove the cake from the oven and set on a wire rack. Allow to cool completely. After about 45 minutes, I usually place it in the refrigerator to speed things up.
- Make the frosting: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on high speed until smooth and creamy. Add 3 cups confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and salt. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then switch to high speed and beat for 2 minutes. If you want the frosting a little thicker, add the extra 1/4 cup of confectioners sugar (I add it). Spread the frosting on the cooled cake. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving. This helps sets the frosting and makes cutting easier.
- Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Prepare cake through step 6. Cover the cake tightly and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze up to 3 months. Bring to room temperature, make the frosting, frost, and serve. Frosted or unfrosted cake freezes well, up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, bring to room temperature, and then frost if needed and serve.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9×13-inch Pan | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Cooling Rack | Icing Spatula
- Frozen Bananas: You can use frozen bananas here. Thaw the frozen bananas. Drain off any excess liquid, mash, then use as instructed in the recipe. See How to Freeze & Thaw Bananas for Baking.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk is required for this recipe. You can make your own DIY version of buttermilk if needed. Add 1 Tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup. Then add enough room temperature whole milk to the same measuring cup until it reaches 1 and 1/2 cups. (In a pinch, lower fat or nondairy milks work for this soured milk, but the cake won’t taste as moist or rich.) Stir it around and let sit for 5 minutes. The homemade “buttermilk” will be somewhat curdled and ready to use in the recipe.
- Cupcakes: I’ve gotten a few questions about turning this cake into cupcakes. For about 2 dozen cupcakes, fill the cupcake liners halfway and bake for about 20-22 minutes. Same oven temperature.
- Can I Turn This into a Banana Bundt Cake? I recommend using my extremely similar recipe for chocolate marble banana Bundt cake instead. (There’s a little extra baking powder for lift, which is helpful when baking in a large Bundt pan.) You can leave out the chocolate swirl in that recipe.
- Layer Cake: I use this recipe to make my banana layer cake. If you want to make a 2 layer cake, divide batter between 2 greased 9-inch cake pans, and bake at 350°F (177°C) for 26-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
I made this yesterday and the taste was out of this world! My children almost finished them so I’m making another batch tonight! Thanks so much
How long would I bake for mini loaf pans and if they are the thin foil kind does that change the temp/time? I’d like to give as gifts 🙂
Sounds like a cute idea! I recommend around 20 minutes or so to start, keeping a close eye on them and baking more if needed. They will be done when a toothpick comes out clean. Keep the same temperature. Let me know how they come out!
I made this cake last night. It came out amazing!!! I can’t stop eating it…so moist and satisfying ♥️
How long do you need to let the cake cool before frosting?
HI Sam, I usually place the cake on a wire rack for about 45 minutes, and then move it to the refrigerator to speed things up for at least an hour. It can’t be warm at all to the touch or your frosting will melt.
If I wanted to add walnuts, how much would you recommend and at which stage? Would that affect the baking time?
Gently stir in about 1 cup chopped walnuts after the wet and dry ingredients are mixed together. Baking time remains the same.
The cake rose well, a little on the denser/heavier side. It tastes exactly like banana bread (unsurprisingly). The frosting was wonderful
Best banana cake ever! I used the recipe to make small loaves and iced with a little decorating for Christmas. They turned out really cute and I froze them. I would have posted a pic if I could have.
I made and took this cake to church (without the frosting and reduced sugar), it went so quickly and I got amazing compliments. Best banana cake I’ve made. Thanks for sharing!
Sally, this cake was fabulous! I brought it to a potluck and got rave reviews and gave the recipe out. I loved the real banana flavor without the cake itself being overly sweet. And the frosting is to die for. I work with the daughter of a professional baker and she even said it was good. I never comment on recipes, but I had to for this one. Thank you (for making me look like a good baker)!!
Hi Sally! I tried this recipe and EVERYONE absolutely loved it!!! Thank you so much!!!
Thank you Sally for this amazing recipe! My mom only made banana cake for our birthdays (thank goodness there were six of us), and it was always so delicious! She passed that recipe down to me and I have yet to get it to turn out like hers, so when I saw this I had to try it! It was perfect! The only thing I changed was the frosting, because hers was amazing. I would love for you to try it. There is only three ingredients. 1/3 cup butter, 3 cups powdered sugar and enough strong cooled Coffee to get the necessary consistency to spread. It is sooooo good with the banana cake!! All my kids and grandkids beg for this for every occasion! Thank you so much!
Loved this banana cake! Very flavorful. But in spite of strictly sticking to the recipe , it came out with a VERY dense layer at the bottom. What could I have done wrong?
Hi Jean! It sounds like that bottom layer is not baked all the way through. It could be as simple as extending the bake time if you decide to try the recipe again. Thank you so much and I’m glad you enjoy it!
This is truly and delish cake! Moist, tasty and a now go-to recipe for all things ripe bananas. (Shhhhh, don’t tell my mom). I made it exact to the recipe. It does make a good sized cake so I will share half with my neighbor (okay, maybe not half).
Hi there!
If I browned the butter for the frosting recipe, would it be the same as in your “brown butter cream cheese frosting” recipe?
Thank you
Hi CeeCee! The recipes are different to (1) make more for the banana layer cake and (2) make up for the different form of butter. Here is my brown butter cream cheese frosting recipe.
I made this cake tonight and it was so good! The cake was not too sweet, with the icing, it was perfect. I’d make it again. Thank you for sharing.
I made this recipe and it is outstanding! I bake for my office co-workers. For the ease of traveling, as well as space limitations, I baked them into 4 small loaves. I made my own buttermilk (I live in Mexico and I haven’t found buttermilk…but it’s easy to make anyway) and used some sour cream. So, sorry I changed up the recipe a bit, but it is terrific and everyone loved it. In fact, I’m getting ready to bake some more right now. Thank you!
I’m not one to leave comments but I just had to! These are amazing! Super moist, the banana flavor is not overpowering like many banana bread recipes, and the icing is sooooo delicious! Even my one son who doesn’t even like the smell of anything banana cooking loved them.
I need to make banana bread for a football team. I need a lot and was going to make your banana bread recipe but then i saw this banana cake. Does it taste good without the frosting? If not, i’ll stick with your banana bread recipe.
Hi Kay! I often make this cake without frosting for a banana “snack cake” of sorts. Tastes less like dessert.
Made this recipe just as instructed with the exception of adding chopped pecans on top of the cream cheese icing. My family absolutely loved it! My husband’s favorite cake is red velvet and he told me that this is right in there with it. Will definitely keep this in the recipes made this recipe just as instructed with the exception of adding chopped pecans on top of the cream cheese icing. My family absolutely loved it! My husband’s favorite cake is red velvet and he told me that this is right there with it. Will definitely keep this as my go to desert.
I made this gluten-free using Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour and it was amazing! Delicious and moist — which is hard to accomplish GF. Thanks!!
Can I make this into a two-layer cake?
Sure can. See recipe note.
Made this yesterday to take to a friends appetizer party and received rave reviews!
It is my forever go to banana cake recipe. And I used all of the icing!!
This actually was the best banana cake I’ve ever had! Thank you for such a delicious and easy recipe. You made this beginner baker look like a professional – everyone LOVED it!
Made this cake today and it is awesome, even my 2 picky eaters that only like chocolate ate it. This is my go to recipe now. Thank you very much.
What a easy to make recipe, Iwas thrilled when my family of four finished the cake in 2 days and are demanding more.I did not make the frosting, it was good enough without it.
Delicious! My children normally insist on chocolate in their banana cake, but they loved this. I baked a 2/3 recipe in a 9″ cake pan. The only modification was that I used all 3 bananas, and it turned out perfectly.
This is the best banana cake I’ve ever made and eaten. It is even better with brown butter cream cheese frosting!
Would this recipe work well made in to mini bundts? How would that change the cook time?
Yes, this would likely work in mini Bundt pans but I haven’t tested it so I’m unsure of the bake time. Let me know if you try it!
I ended up following your cupcake version of this recipe exactly but used mini bundts instead of a cupcake tray. They came out beautifully! Thank you for the fun and delicious recipe
beat top recipe for banana cake i ever seen.
Made your cake today, delicious and very moist! Thank you! Loved the frosting too.