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
I like this recipe, but can you use salted butter if not enough non salted is available
Hi John, You can use salted butter with no changes to the cake recipe. Honestly it won’t make a difference in taste or texture in the baked cake, but if you want to slightly reduce the added salt to 1/4 teaspoon you can. You can use salted butter in the frosting. It’s still plenty sweet.
Sooo yummy!! Made a few slight mods… roasted bananas and mashed with buttermilk and banana yogurt to 3 cups total fluid, handful mini choc chips and skor bits and topped with chocolate ganache as not huge cream cheese fan!!! Amazing flavor and texture!!
Why did my cake turn out heavy was not the best at all!
Hi Jackie, 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!
Best banana cake recipe ever, now it’s my son’s favorite bday cake.
Thank you for this great recipe
I made this into a double layer cake with chocolate frosting. It was moist and delicious and reminded me of a slice of cake I’d get at a diner or truckstop restaurant, in other words, comfort food at its best!
Question… I made this cake and got the frosting all ready to put together in the morning and take to preschool for my son’s birthday. But then he unexpectedly came home ill so that plan is on hold for at least another week.
I’m SO happy this cake can be frozen. I’d rather not put the frosting on it beforehand, so can I freeze the frosting separately? And if so, what would be the best way?
Hi Elise! You can cover and store this cream cheese frosting up to 3 months in the freezer. After freezing, thaw in the refrigerator then beat the frosting for a few seconds so it’s creamy again.
Perfect. Thank you!
This IS the best banana cake ever. I always use very ripe bananas and weigh my ingredients and it turns out perfect!
Oh my goodness I doubled the recipe as had 6 bananas going black!! full bar of dark chocolate chopped up, I didnt put quite as much flour in I think i knocked 75g off I also split between loaf tin & cake tin & made a dozen muffin ones BEFORE I put the main mix in. Oh my goodness havent made cakes in years I WILL be making this again so light, fluffy, absolutely delicious, also cut down on a bit of sugar maybe 50g less…. really creamed Flora Buttery & sugar (white & demerara) well I am so very very happy with this result………..
Oh my gosh ! What a delight to bake. I had a bunch of bananas doing my head in. Those vapours!
So I loved this cake so nice and crispy
Freshly baked. Must admit, I didn’t do the frosting but loved it with a cup of coffee
Thank you sally
Can I turn this into a cookie sheet cake instead…..wanting a true sheet cake over 9×13
Hi Kelli, our cake pan sizes and conversions guide will be helpful in scaling this cake for different pans. Hope you enjoy it!
Didn’t help, but looks like the answer is 1.5 times more of the recipe.
Actually, I didn’t change anything….the volume was the same because the jelly roll pan wasn’t as tall.
Such a lovely moist cake. The recipe makes one loaf tin and 5 muffin sized cup cakes. Absolutely delicious.
Can this be made into cake pops??? 🙂
Trying to make banana bread w/butter cream cake pops, and how PERFECT that you have a Banana Cake! Now to know if this lighter cream cheese frosting is durable for cake pops or if I should go to your cream cheese frosting. Any tips would be delightful!
Hi Rachel, either cream cheese frosting would be fine but I recommend using only 1.5 cups of frosting– or just enough to make a moist cake pop-like mixture. You do not want to use all of this frosting because the pop mixture will be too wet.
Is there a way to bite into the cake pop and taste some butter cream (bc)?
Took precautions (suggestion) to not add all the bc. I imagined the bc would be a bit more noticeable when tasting, but it’s not. Still GREAT recipe. First time experimenting
Thanks!!!
I made this today for dinner guest. It was excellent!! Serving it chilled made the tastes come alive. The frosting was perfect!! Everyone really enjoyed it!! And like one other person commented, I broke my diet for it 🙂 I have to leave the rest for my sons and husband.
This recipe will definitely be repeated!
Delicious! I’ve always been a bit lazy to make cakes from “scratch”…but I am now converted to being a scratch baker. Crumb was beautiful, the flavor was not too sweet and you could taste the banana. I used the browned butter icing from your other banana cake recipe, it is the best frosting I ever made. Thanks again, you are making me look like a star!
Can I use frozen bananas? I freeze them when the start to be over ripe.
Hi Jessica, fresh (ripe) bananas are best, but you can use thawed frozen bananas if needed. We recommend draining them if there’s a lot of liquid.
Quick question – can cake flour be used?
thanks!
Hi Lauren, With the addition of heavy banana, cake flour is too light for this cake recipe. Best to stick with all-purpose flour here.
I tried this recepie first time and it really turned out perfect
So moist, soft and tasty
Going to save this recepie for a life time
I have made this cake several times and Love it sooo much!!! The only change I make is using whole wheat flour. It’s hands down my favorite cake!!!
Have made this cake several times now and am doing so again tonight for a little girls Birthday. Her Mum said the other day she was looking at ice cream cakes for here birthday and turned to her and said “I don’t know why I’m wasting my time I’m just going to ask Fiona for a banana cake” I’m only too happy to oblige. Rave reviews from everyone I’ve made this cake for. Thank you
This is hands down the best cake I’ve ever made. It is absolutely delish-it’s flavorful, it’s soft and has a beautiful crumb, the cream cheese with the banana sponge is a match made in heaven. Every time I make it, it bakes up perfectly. I keep real buttermilk on hand just to make this nanner cake. Our ministry men say it’s the best cake they’ve ever eaten too. What a blessing this cake has been to so many men recovering from addiction!! Praise the Lord!!
I followed this recipe as written. The cake looked great and rose perfectly. After it was cooled and frosted and set in the refrigerator as directed, I cut a piece to taste. The taste was great BUT the cake is so heavy and dense it was like a heavy moist bread. I was disappointed, as I wanted it to be like my mom made when I was growing up, light and fluffy and moist.
Hi Peggy, 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!
Hi
I’ve put 1 table spoon of white vinegar in my milk but nothing happens to it((( what should I do?
Hi Alissa! You can proceed with the recipe – the milk *should* curdle a bit but if you’re using a lower fat milk it may be less obvious.
Oh my word. This is the second time I made it and it is fabulous. Absolutely moist fluffy and delicious. I actually just sprinkle the top with powdered sugar. Yum. The bad thing about it is a broke my diet with it and had two pieces today.
My family loves walnuts. Can I add them to this recipe and how much would you recommend. I can’t wait to try this recipe!!
Yes you can! Gently stir in about 1 cup nuts (pecans or walnuts) after the wet and dry ingredients are mixed together.
Im making this for my son birthday cake can I swap plain flour for gluten free flower ?
Hi Sunny, we haven’t personally tested it, but many readers have reported success using 1:1 gluten free baking flour (like Bob’s Red Mill brand) in our recipes. If you do give it a try, we’d love to know how it goes!
I did do it with gluten plain flour it’s been in the oven for well over the 45 mins and still is coming out sticking to the Skewer. I’m not giving up tho as I’m making a number 2 cake top of the 2 iv made it with normal plain flour and it turned out beautiful. Another quick question is freezing the cake ok for 3 days ahead
I used Costco’s Gluten-free flour (Nameste- I think) which has tapioca and rice flour… I wouldn’t make it again with that brand, it was too chewy and I am not a fan of tapioca structure/texture.
Followed the recipe to the T. Melted in my mouth. So fluffy. So tender. So excited I have another recipe for bananas instead of just banana bread
Can I use buttermilk made from buttermilk powder?
Hi Sallie, buttermilk powder should work just fine — simply follow the directions on the packet to make the amount of buttermilk needed for the recipe. Hope you enjoy!
I didn’t know they made “Buttermilk” powder. Is it near the powdered milk in the grocery store?
This is amazing. I made it as a last minute Thanksgiving dessert and it was a huge hit – the leftovers were all claimed before we were even done eating. My sister even requested that I make a cake for the police department’s Christmas party tonight. This is going into the holiday rotation in our family for sure!
Too sweet for our taste and that is in spite of using only half of the amount of sugar. Also the size of the pan is too large, I used a smaller one, still quite a flat cake.
Sounds like you don’t like cake
Best banana cake I’ve ever made or eaten. So moist! I’ve made it several times, and all who have eaten the ones I’ve made have raved over them, have asked for the recipe, have asked to take a piece “to my husband” (including some who are single — hmmmmm — LOL!) — you get the drift. I used to be disappointed when my bananas were getting too ripe (and we love homemade banana bread), but now I know just how to use them. Makes a great gift for that family member, friend, or neighbor who needs a lift. I can always depend on recipes from Sally’s Baking Addiction to come out delicious! Thanks, Sally!
I want to add a cup of chocolate chips. Would that be ok?
Definitely!
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WOW! WOW! I followed instructions as written and the Cake is Delicious! I used the 9X13 pan, my bananas were large and very ripe so I measured the 1 1/2 dry measure cup not to exceed the amount stated. This will be my go to cake. Thank You!
Not good this is way to dense more like bread. I’ve been making banana cakes over 50 years. They should’ve been light and fluffy. Will never make this again.
Wow. I didn’t find it dense perhaps you put in too much flour? It was light fluffy and completely moist and delicious
This is my favourite banana cake recipe! I have made it many times for many different people and every time, every one of them has loved it! I have made it as a cake and also as cupcakes. Both come out perfectly moist, sweet and delicious. I have this recipe saved in my favourites!
Really surprised by this comment. This is truly the BEST banana cake I have ever made. So light and moist and the friends I made it for the first time ask me every time I see them to make it again!
(ps I sometimes now add walnuts or pecans to the recipe which is also great).
Verrry dense and needed twice as many bananas
Mine turned out dense too , i think my bananas were too small
That comment is polar opposite to what I found with this recipe!
Made today, and by far the best I’ve ever made to date :). Light, fluffy and moreish. I didn’t have enough icing sugar for frosting, so added some Di brown sugar, and a pkt of vanilla pudding mix, also juice of half lemon…hey presto it worked beautifully
Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipe.
The reviews were mixed so I tried it. I live in Utah and not sure if that impacted the cake but it was so dense and heavy. Was disappointed after going to all that trouble to make it. Gave it 1 star because the frosting was great.