Banana Cake

Table of Contents

1. Banana Cake Ingredients
2. Substitutions and Additions
3. How to Make Banana Cake
4. How to Serve Banana Cake
5. Storage
6. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
7. MORE RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
8. JUMP TO RECIPE

Banana cake is soft, moist, and rich, slathered with an irresistible cream cheese frosting for a dessert that the whole family will love. This easy-to-make, yummy layer cake is perfectly flavored with ripe bananas, cinnamon, brown sugar, and vanilla. 

If you love banana dessert recipes you’ll also want to make Banana Pudding Cake, Banana Upside Down Cake, and Caramel Banana Cake Roll. 

Banana Cake Ingredients

You will need:

Cake

• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup salted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 cups mashed bananas, about 4 large plus 2 additional bananas for decorating, if desired
• 1 lemon juice, if decorating exterior of cake with banana slices

PRO TIP: You can make your own buttermilk using whole or 2% milk and lemon juice or distilled vinegar.  For every 1 cup of milk, stir in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar.

Frosting

• 1 cup salted butter, softened
• 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• ⅓ cup heavy cream

Substitutions and Additions

BANANAS: Make sure you get ripe bananas for the recipe or wait until they are ripe. When the peel is deep yellow and has a few brown spots starting to appear, that’s when they are perfect. 

CHOCOLATE CHIPS: Chocolate makes everything even tastier and adding it to desserts with banana flavor takes it to the next level. Add ½ cup to 1 cup of regular or mini chocolate chips to your homemade banana cake for a yummy surprise. 

NUTS: Pecans or walnuts would also be a tasty addition and add a lovely crunch to your cake.

How to Make Banana Cake

Cake

STEP ONE: Preheat oven to 350°F.

STEP TWO: In a mixing bowl, whisk together cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and flour. Set aside.

STEP THREE: Cream together butter and sugars in a large mixing bowl using a hand mixer.

STEP FOUR: Add eggs and vanilla, and beat until batter is fluffy.

STEP FIVE: Beginning and ending with the buttermilk, rotate adding the buttermilk and flour mixture until fully combined and fluffy.

STEP SIX: Mix in mashed bananas until combined.

STEP SEVEN: Prepare two 9-inch round pans by lining the bottom with parchment paper and spraying with non-stick cooking spray.

PRO TIP: If you want taller cake layers, use smaller cake pans such as a 7-inch or 8-inch size.

STEP EIGHT: Divide batter between the two cake pans.

STEP NINE: Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

PRO TIP: Oven temperatures vary and may need to be recalibrated periodically to ensure they are accurate. Make sure to check your cake at the lower end of the recommended baking time.

STEP TEN: Remove pans and cool for 15 minutes. Gently remove cakes from pans to cooling racks and cool completely.

Frosting

STEP ELEVEN: Beat together softened cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until fully combined.

PRO TIP: Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature to ensure it blends fully with the rest of the ingredients and doesn’t leave lumps.

STEP TWELVE: Add in powdered sugar and beat until smooth, the mixture will be thick.

STEP THIRTEEN: Drizzle heavy cream into frosting mixture while beating until frosting is fluffy and to a spreadable consistency.

Assembly

STEP FOURTEEN: Trim the top of each cake layer to remove any doming and form a flat surface.

STEP FIFTEEN: Place first cake layer top side up onto serving platter.

STEP SIXTEEN: Mound about ½ cup of frosting onto the cake layer and spread smooth to the edges.

STEP SEVENTEEN: Place the second cake layer top side down on top of the filling. Press down gently to seal the layers together.

STEP EIGHTEEN: Mound another pile of frosting on top of the cake and use a spatula to spread it across the top and down the sides until cake is fully frosted.

STEP NINETEEN: Decorate with banana slices (dip banana slices in lemon juice to prevent browning) or however you’d like.

STEP TWENTY: Refrigerate or freeze until ready to serve.

How to Serve Banana Cake

A crowd favorite, enjoy this banana cake for a special occasion or just because. It would be delicious served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side and a glass of ice tea or cup of coffee. Serve your cake for a birthday party or special occasion or take it to a picnic or potluck. It’s always a good time to serve this lip-smacking cake.

Storage

IN THE FRIDGE: You can keep this delicious cake in the fridge for up to one week. Store it in an airtight container. 

IN THE FREEZER: You can also freeze the cake either whole or in portions in freezer containers or wrapped in plastic wrap. Use within 1 month.

Banana cake is easy to make dessert with just the right amount of sweetness. This tasty banana cake will likely remind you of banana bread that has been topped with dreamy cream cheese frosting. Rich banana cake is bound to become one of your favorite ways to use ripe bananas. 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Can I use store-bought frosting instead of homemade cream cheese frosting in this recipe? 

If you need to save time, you can use store-bought cream cheese frosting in place of homemade.

Can I make this cake ahead of time and freeze it? 

You can make this cake ahead of time as it freezes well. You can either make the entire recipe and freeze it or make the two cakes and wait to assemble it with the frosting until you are ready to serve it.

Can I make this cake in a square pan in a single layer instead? 

You can certainly bake this cake in a square or rectangular pan if you prefer. Just adjust your baking time to suit the size of the pan.

MORE RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE

• Vanilla Crazy Cake
• Boston Cream Poke Cake
• Heaven on Earth Cake
• Oreo Poke Cake