If you’re searching for the best banana cake recipe, your search is over. Not banana bread masquerading as cake—this is a soft, buttery, ultra-moist sheet cake loaded with real banana flavor and topped with silky cream cheese frosting.
I originally published this recipe in 2016 and have since added new photos and a few more success tips.
My Go-To, Never-Fail Banana Cake
This is my go-to banana cake when I have a bunch of overripe bananas sitting on the counter—and once you try it, you’ll understand why. It’s unbelievably soft and moist with a rich buttery crumb and plenty of bold banana flavor in every bite. We’re not making banana bread here—this is a true cake, tender and fluffy, topped with a thick layer of tangy cream cheese frosting that takes it over the top.
It’s simple enough for a casual bake, yet special enough for birthdays, gatherings, and holidays. One bite and you’ll understand why this is a reader favorite!
One reader, Paul, commented: “I have been baking for 15 years. I use nothing but the finest ingredients. This banana cake IS by far the best banana cake I have ever made or tasted!!! ★★★★★“
Another reader, Lorena, commented: “Words don’t do justice to what happens to your taste buds as they experience the first bite. The texture is perfectly moist, the flavor is exquisite. Hands down the best banana cake ever. It’s one of those recipes that you want to pass down as family heirlooms. ★★★★★“
Another reader, Jacqui, commented: “The title of this recipe definitely holds true… this is a keeper for sure! ★★★★★“
Another reader, Barb, commented: “My husband tried it and said that this was the best banana cake he’d ever had. I told him that was the name of the recipe! … We’d give it 10 stars if we could. Great recipe, Sally, thank you! ★★★★★“
Remember that time I told you about the best banana cake I’ve ever had? I enjoyed obsessed over it at a family reunion. My husband’s 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. Just a ridiculously rich, decadent dessert.
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.
It was, hands down, the best banana cake I’ve ever had. And I haven’t stopped thinking about it since.
Start With Spotty Bananas
The recipe starts with 1 and 1/2 cups (345g) mashed bananas, or about 4 medium or 3 large ripe bananas. Now, make sure those bananas are nice and spotty. More brown spots = sweeter, more banana flavor. It’s what you want for banana bread, chocolate banana bread, and banana muffins, too. Your cake (and everyone who eats it) will thank you.
I simply mash the bananas in my mixer—the same mixer I use to make the rest of the batter. Beat the bananas on high speed for a minute, then transfer to another bowl. No need to wash the mixing bowl before you cream the butter and sugars.
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.
Other Ingredients You Need:
- Flour: All-purpose flour creates the structure of this banana cake.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: For lift. Be sure they are fresh—expired leaveners will leave you with a dense, stodgy cake.
- Cinnamon & Salt: For flavor.
- Butter: Be sure to start with proper room-temperature butter.
- Sugar: You need both white granulated and brown sugar to sweeten this cake.
- Eggs: To bind everything together and add tenderness and lift.
- Vanilla: Essential for flavor in all banana desserts!
- Buttermilk: 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. If you don’t keep buttermilk on hand or can’t find it at the store, you can make this buttermilk substitute: measure 1 Tablespoon of 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, let it sit for 5 minutes, and then it’s ready to be added to your batter.
Here’s the batter. There will be some lumps, and that’s fine!
You can use either a metal or glass 9×13-inch pan. I usually bake this cake in a glass pan, which works really well and bakes it evenly. If using glass, the bake time may be on the slightly longer end.
The Best Frosting for Banana Cake
This is the silkiest and smoothest cream cheese frosting I’ve ever tasted! It’s similar to the cream cheese frosting that we use for carrot cake, but the ratio of cream cheese to butter is different. For this banana cake, we’re using a 2:1 ratio of cream cheese to butter, instead of the carrot cake’s 4:1 ratio. So this makes the frosting a little firmer, silkier, 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 the flavor of brown butter, the brown butter cream cheese frosting from my zucchini cake would be fantastic here.
Not a fan of cream cheese frosting or just want to try something different?
More frosting flavors for banana cake:
- Vanilla Buttercream
- Chocolate Buttercream
- Salted Caramel Frosting
- White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting.
- Not-So-Sweet Whipped Frosting
This banana cake recipe is simple, reliable, and perfect for everything from casual baking days to celebrations, and I have a feeling it’ll earn a permanent spot in your recipe rotation. Just scroll through the many, many reviews below by home bakers who swear by this recipe for the best banana cake!
Other Banana Cake Sizes
- Layer Cake (Pictured Above): You can make this as either a 2-layer or 3-layer cake. For a 2-layer cake, divide the batter between two greased and lined 9-inch round pans and bake at 350°F (177°C) for 26–30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. For a 3-layer cake, divide the batter between three pans and bake for 22–26 minutes.
- 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. Or use this very similar banana cupcakes recipe.
- Bundt Cake: I recommend using my 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 if you wish, and top with the cream cheese icing from this recipe for hummingbird Bundt cake.
The 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
Soft, buttery, and ultra-moist, this is truly the best banana cake. Made with ripe bananas and topped with tangy cream cheese frosting, it’s a longtime reader favorite.
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 metal or glass 9×13-inch pan.
- Make the cake: Mash the bananas. I usually just use my mixer for this! Set mashed bananas aside.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and both sugars on medium-high speed until creamed together, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a 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 bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer running on low speed, add the dry ingredients in 3 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 are 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 cooling rack. Allow to cool completely. After about 45 minutes, I usually transfer it to 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 increase 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 usually do). 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 up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature before serving, if desired.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Prepare cake through step 6. Cover the cake tightly and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for 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 (Metal Pan or Glass 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 buttermilk substitute 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 (360g/ml). (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 and let sit for 5 minutes. The homemade “buttermilk” will be somewhat curdled and ready to use in the recipe.
- Cupcakes: For about 2 dozen cupcakes, fill the cupcake liners halfway and bake for about 20–22 minutes. Same oven temperature. Or use this very similar banana cupcakes recipe.
- Can I Turn This Into a Banana Bundt Cake? I recommend using my very 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 if you wish, and top with the cream cheese icing from this recipe for hummingbird Bundt cake.
- Layer Cake: You can make this as either a 2-layer or 3-layer cake. For a 2-layer cake, divide the batter between two greased and lined 9-inch round pans and bake at 350°F (177°C) for 26–30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. For a 3-layer cake, divide the batter between three pans and bake for 22–26 minutes. I often like to pair the layer cake with this brown butter cream cheese frosting.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Hi! Do you know if this can be made in a loaf pan? I tried searching the comments to see if anyone has already asked this but didn’t see any questions about this. I can’t wait to try it!
This batter would fit into 2 9×5 inch loaf pans, yes. I’m unsure of the exact bake time, but you can use a toothpick to test for doneness.
Really lovely My family enjoyed the banana cake
Best banana cake recipe. The brown butter frosting is a game changer…. Can’t wait to make it again. This time I am trying cupcakes!
I am lactose intolerant so I substituted the buttermilk with a mixture of sourdough starter discard and almond milk. I also only had bread flour and vegan margarine. And then I added walnuts and chocolate chips. And skipped the icing. Its literally the best cake ever.
Made a banana cake for the first time using this recipe and honestly it was delicious! I can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
Oh my goodness, yes, this really is the very best banana cake in the world! I made this for my father-in-law’s birthday. He told me it was better than his dearly departed mother’s famous banana cake! Seriously, this is a huge compliment! Thanks for making this novice look like a baking master!
Absolutely delicious. I’ve tried a lot of recipes I found on the internet and this one does not disappoint. Thanks so much for posting.
Best banana cake ever! Day 1 was good. Day 2 was great. Day 3 – the cake was out of this world delicious and my family agreed with me that the cake tastes A LOT better the longer it sits. I’ll have to try the cream cheese frosting next time, but for now, the cake was fabulous as is.
Hi Sally, I tried you’re recipe and the cake turned out amazing, soft and delicious. Thank you !
Hi Sally, this banana cake is phenomenal! My husband raves about it. I frequently make and freeze in smaller containers so that we can have banana cake whenever we desire. I am wondering though, can I double the recipe? I have a ton of bananas on hand and would love to stock up on more banana cake. THANK YOU!!!
Hi Amy, I’m so happy that this cake is such a hit in your family! I recommend making 2 individual batches, then gently combining the 2 batters together. I fear making a double batch may result in over or under-mixing the batter.
Turned out great! I did add two sticks of butter by mistake and the cake was a bit too moist, but once cooled off , it held up well. Yum!
This is, hands down, the best banana cake I’ve had. It’s addictive, even without the icing.
Made this and it really is, the best banana cake ever!
This cake is amazing….my whole family loves it! I will be making this when the bananas are ripe!
Dear Sally,
I tried your banana cake recipe yesterday and it is to die for !!! Totally amazing. Most of us in our family are diabetic so I added more banana and very little sugar and it came out moist and fluffy tasted great. I have referred your recipes for trying out new flavors.
Writing to THANK YOU !!! for sharing your fantastic recipes.
Regards,
Suja
I’ve made this banana cake recipe several times now because it is absolutely delicious!! I’ve made other banana cake recipes but there’s no comparison whatsoever!
I’m not sure why I decided to make this. I don’t like banana cake. I don’t even like bananas…neither do any of my quarantine buddies…
It must have been my dessert-sixth-sense, because sweet mother of bananas, this is luscious!!
Banana Cake is one of my favorite cakes and I don’t think many people even know about it! I’ve written this before but don’t know if anyone has tried it…you roast your bananas before adding them to the recipe. The banana flavor is over the top! Wash your banana with peel on and put them in a pan (I use a pie or cake pan) and bake them at 350 degrees for 10 minutes then turn them over and bake another 10 minutes. They should be pretty dark when you get them out. There will be liquid in the pan and that is part of the gold. Squeeze the inside out of the peel and add to cake with the gold. You will not believe how this adds banana flavor to Sally’s already incredible recipe!
Made this cake on Friday as I had an overabundance of ripe bananas. Started looking for recipes and saw one from your site and jumped on it. Anything I bake from your site is a hit! This cake got a ten and never made it to the icing. Icing next time.
Followed exactly with weighed ingredients but mix was very runny. Tested with a toothpick which came out clean after 45 min, but was very underdone and soggy inside.
Hi Joan, Any chance you were using frozen and thawed bananas? If so be sure to drain off the excess liquid from the bananas when they thaw. The batter isn’t quite as thick as banana muffins but shouldn’t be super runny.
Thank you for your recipes I love them.
Can I replace the butter for oil?
How much oil?
Thanks!
Hi Joanna! You’re welcome. I don’t recommend that substitution. It’s not possible to cream oil. The creaming step is crucial to this cake’s texture. You’ll also lose a lot of flavor. You could try solid coconut oil instead, but I fear the texture will be greasy (and, of course, lacking butter flavor).
I made this for my grandson as he loves banana cake and having tried many other recipes, this is by far the best I’ve ever tasted, I couldn’t get enough of it and will always use this recipe now!
Hello . how can I make this cake into a sheet cake, for a birthday party I am having tomorrow on June 19th my brother-in-law would like me to make this cake. It is one of the ones he loves the best that I have made. Thank you for your time.
Hi Paula, This cake is written for a 9×13 inch pan. For different pan sizes you can use my post on Cake Pan Sizes and Conversions to help calculate how much batter you will need.
I’m an egg short for this recipe! Can I substitute the eggs with applesauce? Some recipes work when doing this. Depends on what the eggs’ purpose is for recipe.
Or can I use the 2 eggs I have and substitute the one egg with applesauce? I’m excited to give this a try that I can’t sleep.
Thanks, Brandi E.
Hi Brandi, I haven’t tested this recipe with any egg substitutes. If you wish to try it I recommend using your two eggs and then making a substitute for the remaining egg. Let me know if you try it!
I haven’t tried this recipe, but it sounded delicious. QQ: do you sift your flour before measuring? It makes a big difference in the measurements, so wanted to get an answer from you before I make this.
Many thanks,
Julie
Hi Julie, You don’t need to sift flour unless a recipe calls for it. If your recipe calls for 1 cup of sifted flour, you sift the flour before measuring. If the recipe calls for one cup of flour, sifted– then you sift it after measuring.
If the word “sifted” is listed before flour, you sift it before measuring. If the word “sifted” is listed after flour, sift it after measuring. I hope this helps!
I made this last night and took it to work today. So apparently I am making another one for a girl’s birthday Tuesday. Yeah it was delicious. Thank you
Can I make this entirely in an 8 inch or 9 inch round cake pan? That means no layers but a whole cake with the cream cheese frosting. The recipe looks awesome need to go get some bananas and wait them for to ripen. Btw how large are your bananas? In weight or by length (inches or cm)?
No, this is too much batter to fit in one round pan. Overfilling your pans will cause the cake to not bake or rise properly. You can divide it between two 9-inch round pans – see recipe notes.
I made this yesterday and it turned out moist. The hint of cinnamon enhanced the flavour of the cake. But the cream cheese frosting was way way too sweet. Recipe called for 360g of icing sugar. I just read recipes from other sites and they only called for 100g! Is there an error in the recipe?
Hi Jasmine, This frosting is pretty sweet but using less sugar would make it very thin. You can adjust it until you are happy with it and also try adding an extra pinch of salt to help cut the sweetness.
The name of the recipe is not a lie! “The Best Banana Cake I’ve Ever Had”. I even made it with King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten Free Flour. It was so moist and flavorful. Definitely keeping this recipe to use again!
Hi Sally, firstly I LOVE your website! Baking is one of my favourite things to do and I have made several of your fabulous recipes! My work colleagues love them too and I have passed on your website to them. The hardest thing is to choose what to make next. The banana cake is fabulous, I had some bananas in the freezer so used them. I did have a different sized tin (9×9) and put the extra batter into two jumbo muffin tins. Which of course I had to try with some icing to make sure the cake would be ok to take to work….Thank you for your fabulous recipes and pics as well as explanations.