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. 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.
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, chocolate 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, you can make this buttermilk substitute: 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 and banana cupcakes, too. And if you can’t get enough sheet cakes, you’ll want to try this fresh apple cake next!
Print
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
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 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 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 cooling 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 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 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 up to 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 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 | 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: 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 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: I use this recipe to make my banana layer cake. If you want to make a 2-layer cake, divide the batter between 2 greased and lined 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.
Reader Comments and Reviews
hello!
Would i still need baking soda and baking powder in your recipe if I am using self-raising flour instead of all-purpose flour?
Hi Jas, we haven’t tested this recipe with self rising flour. For best results, we recommend sticking to the recipe as written. If you test anything, let us know. You’ll have to tweak the added baking powder and/or soda in order for this dense cake to have enough rise (even when using self rising).
Have made this cake as the recipe is written and loved it! Wanted to do it as a 9-inch 2-layer cake to make it a little more dramatic for a birthday – any advice on recipe adjustments and baking time?
Hi Katie, we’re so glad you loved this cake! For layers, you can use our cake pan sizes & conversions guide to scale the recipe or try our banana layer cake instead.
Amazing, simple, nailed it on the first attempt. Thank you
Can i use a cup of brown sugar and 1/2 cup of granulated sugar? will that make a difference to the cake?
Hi Kathy, Brown sugar contains more moisture so the texture of your cake may be slightly different than intended, but you can certainly try it!
Made the recipe. Too many stages and over beat the mix. Or my baking powder is dead. I ended up with Banana Cake Pudding.
Definitely did something wrong
Hi, my cake is super moist in the middle almost looking g not cooked. What could I have done wrong? I used an extra banana though but it wouldn’t look like this, last time I made it it was perfect
Hi Stacey, The extra banana could have simply added too much moisture to the cake batter for it to bake properly. It’s best to stick to about about 1 and 1/2 cups mashed banana. If this happens again try baking it for longer – you can loosely cover the top with aluminum foil if the edges are baking faster than the center.
omg so good.
Hiya. Can you freeze the cake (without the frosting) successfully?
Hi Sally,
I’m in Sydney Australia & would like to know is your Banana Cake baked in fan force oven or conventional oven?That way I can adjust my oven temp-as I have a fan force.
Can’t wait to try it
Hi Victoria, all of the recipes on this site are written for conventional settings. Convection ovens are fantastic for cooking and roasting. If you have the choice, we recommend conventional settings when baking cakes, breads, etc. The flow of air from convection heat can cause baked goods to rise and bake unevenly and it also pulls moisture out of the oven. If you do use convection settings for baking, lower your temperature by 25 degrees F and keep in mind that things may still take less time to bake.
I should have checked first but…I measured out the flour, I do fluff, spoon and level then I weighed the ingredients and I had more flour measured out than the weight. 3 cups should be 360 grams not the 375 in the recipe. I used the 3 cups rather than the lesser amount. The cake was very good but it was a bit dense. Not sure if this was a result of the flour or the fact I baked it in a glass pan. I typically use metal but was bringing it to a friends house.
When I make this again I will use the 360 grams. And there will be a next time!
I used two sticks of butter on accident. Will it still come out okay?
Hi Bridget, the cake will likely be a greasy from the extra butter. Hope it turns out okay for you!
Was on the hunt for a new banana cake recipe as my old one didn’t have any banana flavour, and would come out with an overly dense crumb.
This recipe is SO good. It’s as described in the post: super moist, dense without being heavy, and tons of banana flavour. I have no clue how the banana flavour shines through so strongly, as I used the same amount of bananas to make a way bigger cake than before. It’s amazing to me. Will definitely make this again and again.
I skipped on the frosting, and I still thought it was perfect and well-balanced in flavours.
So glad you enjoyed this cake, Melisande!
Hi Sally
Love the cake just have a couple of questions:
1. bottom layer of the cake is dark in colour compared to the rest of the cake. why is this happening?
N.B Baked it first time 20 minutes extra and second time 30 minutes extra with the same result
2. can you advise half portion to make the frosting
Regards
Irene
Hi Irene, How were the textures of the cake? A lot of ovens have hot spots which could be making one pan darker than the other. Try rotating your pans halfway through to help them bake evenly if you try this recipe again.
Hi,
Could you add some mashed bananas to the frosting for banana flavor frosting ? Would you add more confections sugar to tighten it up more ?
Thanks
Hi Dawn, we’ve never tested a banana frosting before but let us know if you do! This recipe from The Domestic Rebel looks promising: https://thedomesticrebel.com/2015/02/20/the-best-banana-cake-with-banana-frosting/
Omggggg DELISH!!!
Very clear instructions, made the cake today and it’s great. A very nice flavor, aroma and mouthfeel. Actually I think the next time I make it I won’t even add the icing, it’s that good.
Hi! Can I use a stand mixer instead of a hand mixer? Thanks!
Absolutely.
Thanks Sally for this amazing recipe!!! I’ve just made it with my 5 yr old girl for Grandparents day here in Mexico and it was a hit
Hi Sally, thanks for sharing a great recipe. I’ve tried many different banana cake recipes but your recipe is the best one by far. I’ve made it today and everyone in my family is loving it so much. It turned out very moist and soft. SO YUMMY….
I love trying your recipes……… most of them turned out so perfect. Thanks again.
Hi AB family, We are so glad you enjoyed this!
Made this cake and YUM.
Made it with 2 bananas plus small tin of crushed pineapple and coconut
Will be making again
This banana cake is sooooooo tasty. My whole family loved it.
But I had a maleur, because I though i cooked it longer than required, the bottom turned out very very dense. What could possibly be the cause?
Hi MissMJ, thank you so much for giving this recipe a try! The texture of this cake will definitely be on the denser side. Did you use fresh or frozen bananas? Frozen will sometimes be too wet to use. Also make sure not to over-mix your batter. Mix just until combined to prevent a dense cake. Hope this helps!
Made this for the first time yesterday but it turned out to be perfect. My girl even asked for more after 3 pies. Thank you so much for your recipe. This is the best banana cake I’ve ever made.
Made cake last night for my birthday. Cake turned out awesome and was delicious. I suggest cutting the sugar in the icing in half. I make an almost identical cream cheese icing for a carrot cake and use 1.5 cups of sugar. That’s what i went with for this one, and it was creamy and sweet without being “hurt teeth” sweet. Awesome recipe! The buttermilk makes it creamy and adds moisture and balances out the sugar.
Amazing! I made mini cupcakes using this recipe. (15 minutes using mini cupcake pan if anyone is wondering) Turned out wonderfully. Will definitely be using this recipe again!
Hands down the BEST ever banana cake. Thank you
Can I use brown butter in this cake and in the frosting?
Hi Mary! We love this cake with a brown butter frosting. You can find it in this post: Banana Cake with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting. We haven’t tried brown butter in the cake, but you absolutely can! Just make sure the brown butter is at room temperature and softened. Enjoy!
Hi, thank you for this recipe. Can I half this recipe? This is really a big one for my family
Hi Sahana, you can halve this recipe for a 9×9 baking dish. The bake time will be shorter, though we can’t say exactly how long. Use a toothpick to test for doneness. For the eggs, use 1 egg then crack a 2nd egg, beat it, and use half of the mixture.
Stayed moist and fresh. I did the 9×13 pan it filled it nicely. I cut it in 2×2 squares.
Will definitely be in my favorites
Delicious , didnt use full amount of sugar and was sweet enough also added some chopped dried figs.and soaked them in the butter milk. yumm.
My first banana cake, success, delicious!!! I reduced sugar to 250g in total and it’s perfect to our taste. Great recipe, thanks
This was perfect! Baked evenly and beautifully, amazing moisture, texture, and flavor. The icing was perfect as well! Saving as a go-to for banana cake! We added walnuts 🙂 I’m wondering how it would do as a sheet cake and made into several layers. Might not be sturdy enough since the crumb Is delicious as a thicker cake – but I’ll try it!
Hi Alison, we’re so glad you enjoyed this cake! For layers, you can use our cake pan sizes & conversions guide to scale the recipe or try our banana layer cake instead.
I made this in a Bundt pan. It was done perfectly in 60 minutes. It is incredibly moist, has a nice crumb and a wonderful banana flavor. It was plenty sweet for us without any frosting. I will be keeping this recipe!