This is my all-time favorite banana cake recipe, made completely from scratch! Perfectly flavored with extra bananas, soft, fluffy, moist, and topped off with a silky smooth cream cheese frosting and chopped walnuts, this is the banana cake of your dreams!
This recipe is a result of many, many emails and comments from so many of you writing to tell me how much you enjoyed my best banana muffins (see, I didn’t call them the “best” for nothing). A few of you wrote to ask me if it would be possible to bake the muffin recipe into a banana cake, but I had a few reservations. I was worried that the original recipe wouldn’t make the best banana cake, and so I started recipe testing to develop the perfect moist cake.
I went through a lot of overripe bananas (and some not-so-ripe ones, in a few moments of desperation), and finally ended up modifying my pumpkin cake (of all things) to land on this winning banana cake recipe.
Soft and fluffy with a tender, moist crumb, this is banana cake perfection. It’s easy to make and is perfectly complemented by a liberal topping of cream cheese frosting.
For this banana cake, I used a variation of my favorite cream cheese frosting that I shared the other day. Today’s recipe uses a bit less sugar and has you whip heavy cream into the frosting so that it’s smooth and silky.
This variation is much less sturdy than my other recipe and isn’t one that I recommend for your standard cake or cupcake, but it suits this cake perfectly (no piping required here!).
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Tips for Making Banana Cake
- The riper your bananas the better! I prefer mine to be mostly brown (which I did not have when I made the video below… food blogger fail), the riper they are the more flavorful your banana cake will be.
- I top the frosting off with chopped walnuts, but if you’d like you can also bake walnuts or pecans into the cake, too. About 1 cup of chopped nuts would work nicely in this recipe.
- You can add cinnamon to spice up this cake! I ultimately decided to leave it out for maximum pure banana flavor, but you can add 1/2-3/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon in with the dry ingredients if you’d like.
- When I made this banana cake in my glass baking dish, the top browned faster than I expected it to. Because of this, I’ve included instructions in the recipe to monitor your cake at the 30 minute mark, and if the edges are browning too fast, lightly tent the cake with foil.
Enjoy!
How to Make the BEST Banana Cake
The Best Banana Cake
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature (170g)
- ¾ cup canola or vegetable oil (175ml)
- 1 cup light or dark brown sugar (200g)
- 1/2 cup sugar (100g)
- 4 ripe bananas, peeled and well-mashed (this is about 2 cups mashed) (470g)
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten room temperature preferred
- ¼ cup buttermilk (60ml)
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (312g)
- 1 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
Silky Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 oz cream cheese softened (225g)
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened (113g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2½ cups powdered sugar (315g)
- 1 Tablespoons heavy cream
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and spray a 9x13 pan with baking spray or lightly grease and flour. Set aside.
- Combine butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl and use an electric mixer). Beat until well-combined and light and fluffy.
- Add oil and beat to combine.
- Stir in mashed bananas.
- Add eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla extract and stir until well-combined.
- In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Gradually add to wet ingredients until completely combined.
- Spread batter into prepared pan and bake on 350F (175C) for 45-55 minutes* or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean with few moist crumbs. Allow to cool completely before covering with frosting.
Silky Cream Cheese Frosting
- Combine cream cheese, butter, vanilla extract, and salt in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until creamy.
- With mixer on low-speed, gradually add powdered sugar until completely combined.
- Add heavy cream and gradually increase speed to high. Beat on high for 30 seconds.
- Spread over completely cooled banana cake. Top with chopped walnuts (if using). Slice and serve!
Notes
Nutrition
Amina says
This cake looks really yummy! I’ve been following your blog for a while, but I think this is my first time commenting.
Please check out my blog that I have recently launched.
Suzanne Mergler says
Cake was delish. My family loved it I used a glass pan, baked it 40 min. Perfect.
Sam says
I am so glad you enjoyed it, Suzanne! ç
Telicia says
Found your site after searching for somber to make with my over ripe bananas so I would not have to throw out. So glad I found your blog.Made this yesterday. Fabulous!!! Did not have enough AP flour so used cake flour instead of AP. The recipe was so simple and easy and the frosting was perfect, not overly sweet. Super moist and fluffy. I enjoyed a piece with my coffee this morning. I baked in metal pan and the tip to watch carefully after 30 minutes was really helpful because it was beginning to brown rather quickly so I just turned oven down to 325 last 10 minutes and it was done in 40 minutes for me. Thanks for recipe.
Sam says
I’m so happy to hear this! I’m glad you enjoyed the cake, thank you so much for coming back and commenting how it turned out! 🙂
Gail Hanson says
Fantastic!! Couldn’t have more delicious.WOW❤❤
THANKYOU
Sam says
I am so glad you enjoyed it Gail!! 😃
Jasetta says
Made this last night and menh… it was delicious. Sugar is not too much, but was very brown inside even though, I used light brown sugar. Hubby took some for work and kids love it.
I’m always on sugarspunrun.com checking out your recipes.The ones I have used have not failed me yet. They come out perfect and yammy.
Maggie says
Hi, I usually bake banana bread with my ripe bananas but might try your recipe. I don’t have buttermilk, can I successfully sour whole milk with vinegar for your recipe? Thank you.
Sam says
Yes you can! this is how I make “buttermilk” if I don’t have any on hand (I’d bet you do it the same way):
Karla says
I only have salted butter, is that ok? Should I reduce the salt in it?
Will salted butter affect the cake taste? Thanks. Hoping to make tomorrow.
Sam says
Hi Karla! Just cut the salt that the recipe calls for to 1/2 teaspoon for the cake, and for the frosting I wouldn’t add any but do a taste test and if it seems too sweet add 1/4 teaspoon.
I hope that helps and hope you love the banana cake! 🙂
Alli says
Any tips for subbing the 1 tbsp heavy cream for something else? I don’t have any. Thanks!
Sam says
You could use milk (use a bit less as milk is thinner) or leave it out completely
Storm says
How do you store the cake? In the fridge? Any recimmendation for reheating?
I am so excited…baking it now in the oven!
Sam says
Just keep it in an air tight container, room temperature is fine. To reheat, I would just microwave it for a few seconds.
Nance C Andersen says
Made this cake yesterday to use up 4 over ripe bananas and I was having a guest for dinner. I thought I had cream cheese in the refrigerator for the frosting, but I didn’t. I Googled what kinds of frosting to use on banana cake besides cream cheese frosting. I found brown sugar frosting and used that recipe. The cake is delicious and the frosting with chopped pecans sprinkled over the top made a fabulous dessert! My guest even took a sizable piece to eat for breakfast this morning. It’s 4 PM the day after I made it and half of it is gone! Has anyone used the cake recipe to make cupcakes? If so how many does the recipe make, how many does it make, oven temperature and baking time?
Sam says
I’m afraid if you put them in cupcakes they may be too moist. I have never tried it so I would not be able to comment on bake times and temperature.
Margie says
Yesterday I came across your website and today I made your Best Banana Cake with the Silky Cream Cheese Frosting and it was AMAZING!! Since I love walnuts, I also added walnuts to the cake mix and reduced the brown sugar to 3/4 cup. I used a non-stick pan and my cake was done in 45 minutes. I can’t wait to try your banana muffins next. Thank you for sharing such a delicious recipe!!
PS – I took a picture but could not attach.
Sam says
I am so glad you enjoyed the Banana Cake! I hope you love everything you try! ☺️
Norma says
This looks delicious; I will be making this for dessert for a Sunday dinner. I may just freshly whipped cream instead of frosting.
I need to make it today (Thursday), and I’m wondering if I should leave it in an airtight container, or pop it into the freezer, and take it out Sunday morning – or would that make it sticky and weird?? Thanks 🙂
Sam says
The cake will be ok in an air tight container in the refrigerator. My recommendation for the whipped cream is to freeze it or to wait until the day of to make it. 😊
Charlyn says
Hi! My family and I really enjoyed your banana cake recipe. It is really the best!
How long is the shelf life? 5 days max?
Sam says
I would say 3-5 days and wouldn’t keep it any longer than that. 😊
Angela Longley says
I made this Delicious cake last night and it is exactly what it is….The Best Banana Cake!. So moist and flavorful. This recipe is going in my recipe box for sure. Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe.
Sam says
Thank you for the feedback, Angela! I am so glad you enjoyed it! ☺️
Roberta Reynolds says
Hi, I’m planning on making the best banana cake for my sister’s bday. Want to do a triple layer. Can I use these ingredient amounts for that? I usually throw stuff together and never measure and this will be the second cake I follow directions.
Thank you
Sam says
It would hold up being stacked, however, this would yield three pretty thin layers. The batter would be sufficient for a two layer cake. You would need to increase the ingredients to get a three layer cake if you didn’t want the layers to be too thin. Enjoy! ☺️
Barbie says
Had overripe bananas. Tried your recipe. Delicious. Easy. Thank you!
Sam says
I am so glad you enjoyed them! Better than wasting bananas if you ask me. 🙂
Andy S says
Excellent!
Very moist, great banana flavor very light as described.
I have a brand new electric oven. So I have not calibrated.
I used a dark metal no stick pan, though I still greased and floured, and found myself tenting with foil at 30 minutes. I probably could’ve tested doneness earlier, as mine was done when I checked at 45 minutes.
I used salted butter that I had on hand. I still added 1/4 tsp salt. Frosting sugar amount was perfect. Often cream cheese frostings are crazy sweet. After tasting I decided on 1/4 teaspoon more vanilla and probably another 2 tsp of cream to get the lighter consistency I wanted.
Rave reviews from some seriously critical taste testers.
THANK YOU!
Sam says
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it, Andy! Calibrating the oven is always such a pain! I am glad you were still able to get it to turn out. 🙂