This is the best banana cake recipe, and it’s made completely from scratch! My recipe is perfectly balanced with extra bananas and complementary spices and is crowned with a silky smooth cream cheese frosting. Includes a how-to video!
The Actual Best Banana Cake Recipe (Moist, Easy, & Frosted!)
If you have some overripe bananas hanging out on your counter, I’ve got you covered: this banana cake recipe is exactly what they’ve been waiting for. Soft, plush, rich with banana flavor and smothered in a silky smooth, perfectly tangy cream cheese frosting, this recipe is made completely from scratch. It’s easy with basic ingredients and the prep takes less than half an hour, so what are you waiting for!?
Why This Banana Cake Really Works:
- Bananas are for more than just flavor. Overripe bananas aren’t just essential for locking in classic banana flavor. They’re also full of natural sugars and pectin, which help lock in moisture and create a plush, super moist crumb that stays soft for days.
- Butter for flavor, oil for texture. This is a combo that I use in many of my cakes (both my vanilla cake and chocolate cake recipe feature a blend of the two). While butter adds incredible flavor, butter alone can dry out a cake crumb a bit, especially one that needs to be refrigerated (since butter solidifies in the fridge it can make cakes seem dense and dry). Cooking oil is great for adding moisture, but doesn’t lend the same rich, buttery flavor. By using a blend of both, we get incredible flavor and texture.
- Cream cheese frosting, balanced just right. The tangy element of it works especially well here to counter the sweet, banana-rich base. A little acidity balances the whole bite, so it doesn’t feel too heavy! Psst: If you want to make this cake over-the-top luxurious, try it with my cream cheese-based brown butter frosting!)
Ingredients:
My banana cake recipe was carefully and intentionally designed to be sweet, simple, super flavorful, and moist. When developing it, I largely drew from my pumpkin cake (of all things). Let’s talk about a few of the key players:
- Bananas. For the best flavor & moistest cake, you should use overripe, spotty or mostly brown bananas. Have some that are looking a little sad on your counter and starting to attract fruit flies? Grab those. King Arthur has a great guide on choosing the best bananas to use for baking. A banana cake made with underripe or even regularly ripe bananas could be a bit less sweet, more dry, and underwhelming in flavor.
- Butter AND oil. Those of you who have made my Funfetti cake or marble cake recipe know that a blend of the two yields a better cake than simply using all butter or all oil. For my banana cake recipe I sought balance, and a blend of the two yielded a perfect moist cake. For the oil, any neutral cooking oil (canola or vegetable are most common) will work.
- Sugar. Another best-of-both-worlds scenario. Granulated sugar adds sweetness without weighing the cake down too much, while brown sugar adds a depth of flavor that pairs nicely with the bananas (thanks to the molasses in brown sugar!).
- Leavening Agents. Baking powder and baking soda create a perfect rise. The baking soda reacts with the banana and buttermilk (and helps create that beautiful golden surface), while the baking powder ensures a reliably even lift across the cake. Without the two of them we’d have a dense, gummy cake.
- Buttermilk. While this plays a role in helping the banana cake to rise a bit when combined with the baking soda, perhaps more importantly it adds moisture and a wonderful depth of flavor.
As always, this is just an overview of a few of the main ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Banana Cake
Make the cake batter & bake
Start by mashing your bananas really well (a fork or potato masher works great). Set these aside and cream together your butter and sugars and gradually incorporate the rest of your wet ingredients.
The dry ingredients should be whisked together in a separate bowl, then gently stirred into the wet ingredients. Do not use your electric mixer for this step. Instead use a spatula to gently fold things together until the batter is completely combined. Overdoing it can cause the cake crumb to be dense and dry (don’t under-do it either, though, or the cake could sink or not bake properly).
ake the cake until it’s golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. If you notice your cake is darkening more than you’d like in the oven, you can tent it with foil to prevent this.
SAM’S TIP: Measure your bananas! The recipe lists the amount of mashed bananas that you need for a reason, simply stating “3 bananas” or “4 bananas” is too ambiguous and could lead to a cake that’s too dry and bland (if under-measured) OR too moist and sinks in on itself (if over-measured). It’s best to mash and measure (or go by weight!).
Make the Cream Cheese Frosting
SAM’S TIP: The pan you bake your cake in matters. The banana cake will take longer to bake in a glass pan than a metal one.
The frosting is quick and easy to prepare. Beat softened cream cheese and butter, vanilla, and salt until smooth and creamy (make sure there are no lumps!), then gradually stir in the powdered sugar. Stirring in a bit of cream gives you a silky smooth frosting that spreads easily (similar to the one I use on my zucchini cake).
Top with regular or toasted pecans or walnuts (my preference), or make things extra decadent with a drizzle of caramel sauce or dulce de leche for a finishing touch!
Frequently Asked Questions
This banana cake recipe should yield results that are perfectly moist, but certainly not oily. If yours seems more of the latter than the former, consider these possible issues.
1: Too much banana. Extra banana (especially if yours were particularly large!) can make the cake batter too wet. For best results, mash and measure your bananas rather than try to guess a number of bananas.
2: Stir well (but don’t overdo it). The batter needs to be uniformly combined so that all of the ingredients can properly interact with each other. If you don’t mix in the proper order or well enough, you could have spots within the cake where the oil didn’t have the chance to properly absorb into the batter.
3: It’s under-baked. This cake is very moist, so check your toothpick closely. It should come out with moist crumbs but definitely not a thin coating of wet batter. The toothpick should be dry or (preferably) have moist, discernible crumbs.
I have not one, but 3 secrets to share with you, but know it’s all about a smart selection of ingredients and a little baking science.
First: very ripe bananas are key to a good banana cake recipe! As bananas ripen, their starches turn to sugar and the moisture content increases, keeping the cake moist and flavorful.
Second: a blend of oil and butter adds both moisture and flavor.
Finally: just the right amount of brown sugar. Brown sugar doesn’t just add flavor, it also helps the cake stay soft and tender even after a night in the fridge, thanks to the fact it’s hygroscopic (this just means it loves moisture!).
Banana bread is baked in a bread pan, is more dense and hearty and a bit less sweet. It’s not uncommon to find it on a breakfast menu. Banana cake, on the other hand, would be hard to pass off as breakfast food. It’s baked in a cake pan, fluffier and even more moist, and dressed up with a heavy-handed swirl of frosting.
Both over and under-mixing can result in a cake that sinks as it cools. If the banana cake is not baked thoroughly, this can also cause it to sink after baking. Finally, if your baking powder or baking soda are expired and/or not properly stored, this may cause the cake to not rise properly. Store these in a cool dry place and make sure they are not expired before you use them.
More Ways to Use Your Overripe Bananas:
It took quite a bit of tweaking and testing but I’m very proud to finally be sharing my favorite banana cake recipe with you. If you try it, please let me know how you like it!
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! Make sure to check out the how-to VIDEO in the recipe card!
The Best Banana Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- ¾ cup (175 ml) avocado, canola or vegetable oil
- 1 cup (200 g) light or dark brown sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) sugar
- 2 cups (470 g) well-mashed ripe bananas (this is typically 4 bananas for me)
- 2 large eggs room temperature preferred
- ¼ cup (60 ml) buttermilk
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups (312 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
Silky Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 oz (225 g) cream cheese softened
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ cups (315 g) powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon heavy cream
- ½ cup chopped walnuts for topping (optional)
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and spray a 9×13" (approximately 23x33cm) 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.¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter, 1 cup (200 g) light or dark brown sugar, ½ cup (100 g) sugar
- Add oil and beat to combine.¾ cup (175 ml) avocado, canola or vegetable oil
- Stir in mashed bananas.2 cups (470 g) well-mashed ripe bananas
- Add eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla extract and stir until well-combined.2 large eggs, ¼ cup (60 ml) buttermilk, 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.2 ½ cups (312 g) all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt
- Gradually add to wet ingredients until completely combined.
- Spread batter into prepared pan and bake on 350F (175C) for 45-55 minutes (see note 1) 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.8 oz (225 g) cream cheese, ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon salt
- With mixer on low-speed, gradually add powdered sugar until completely combined.2 ½ cups (315 g) powdered sugar
- Add heavy cream and gradually increase speed to high. Beat on high for 30 seconds.1 Tablespoon heavy cream
- Spread over completely cooled banana cake. Top with chopped walnuts (if using). Slice and serve!½ cup chopped walnuts
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
This banana cake recipe was first published in March 2018. The recipe is unchanged, but the content of the post has been updated to include more helpful information and a video tutorial.
Cheryl
This was excellent! Nice tender crumb and moist. Always like your cake recipes with butter and oil. Used some frozen bananas so my cake was a little darker. Really appreciate you specifying a weight for the bananas, not many recipes have that. I made half a recipe, baked in a glass 8 inch square pan for 27 minutes. Made my Vanilla buttercream frosting adding just an ounce or so of cream cheese to get a slight tang. Will definitely make this again, so easy!
Julia
I loved this recipe! My family ate it up! The only thing I did different from the recipe was that I added ground cinnamon. Thanks for the recipe!
Lorley
I made banana bread just last week so I was looking for something different to use up our brown bananas. So I tried your cake today. It was marvelously moist and flavorful. The cake did not sink as I baked it for just over 40 minutes in my slightly hotter oven. I alway “ Trust the Toothpick” and it turned out great. I’m so glad you showed the picture of what your baked cake looked like as it appeared too brown, but it really wasn’t. I had to frost it while it was just slightly still warm as the grandkids visited and wanted a snack. It was just wonderful and once again I’m thanking you for your recipes. Well done.
Anne A
Hi There,
Can you tell me why my banana bread turns out really dark in colour and not a light golden colour
Sam
Hi Anne! I actually have a note below the instructions on keeping it from darkening too much. 🙂
DW
Do I need to refrigerate this cake?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi DW! This cake can sit out for a few hours but ultimately needs to be stored in the fridge. Enjoy 😊
Shawnee
I made this yesterday for my office coworkers. It was absolutely fantastic. The best I’ve ever had and the frosting was divine. What a gem of a recipe! Thank you!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks for sharing our recipe with your coworkers, Shawnee! We’re so glad it was a hit for you ❤
Samantha
This looks great! Would it be possible to use ripe bananas that I froze so I don’t have to wait around for ripening? Thanks!
Sam
Hi Samantha! That will work just fine here. 🙂
Simcha
This cake is delicious!
Charlie
Hi, can I cut this recipe in half and have it work well still? And have you ever tried it in cupcake pan?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Charlie! It should work fine cut in half. As far as cupcakes go, we’d recommend our banana cupcakes instead 😊
Rose
I made this a few months ago to share at a dinner party, the host of that party (my cousin) requested it for her birthday poker night on the 28th. It is the best banana cake ever.
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Rose! 🙂
Sarah
This is seriously my new favorite cake. I can’t believe I am saying that about a banana cake. But it’s amazing.
Sharon Arnold
Easy to mix up, I added a little cinnamon ‘cuz I like the flavor! However,
after 35 minutes cake was totally done (not overbaked), nicely brown, and
I removed from the over. I was sure to use the recommended size of pan,
which was metal.
Ni
Hi Sam,
I only have a 9*9 pan, would have the recipe be enough for that?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Yes, but the cake may be a bit thinner than usual. Your bake time will be different too 🙂
Brittany
I was wondering if I could make 2 round 8-9 inch cakes to stack? If so what should be the baking time and would the frosting recipe be enough for the cake layered that way?
Sam
Hi Brittany! You will have enough batter for the 2 pan, but I’m not sure on the bake time. Your temperature will be the same and I think you should have enough frosting to cover it. 🙂
Sherry
Can I make the icing ahead of time?
Sam
Hi Sherry! That will work. It will start to crust a little bit if left exposed to air so I would press some plastic wrap down onto the surface to prevent that and store in the refrigerator. 🙂
Cindy
Can you stack the cake?
Sam
Hi Cindy! Two layers should be fine with this cake. 🙂
Sherry
How long do I bake this in a glass 13×9 pan?
Sam
Hi Sherry! I haven’t tried it in a glass pan, but it will probably be pretty close to the same time, just keep an eye on it. 🙂
Nova
How about an 8×11 glass pan?? Will u have to change the timing of cooking?
Sam
Hi Nova! This will make too much batter for an 8 x 11, but it will work. I’m not sure on a bake time just make sure you don’t overfill your pan.
Gayle
I baked it in a glass pan and it was ready in 45 min. Made a chocolate ganache icing for it – yummy!!
Miriam Rose Blanar
Made this for my friends and they loved it!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy it was a hit for everyone, Miriam! Thanks for your review ❤
Deb
Wow, this recipe is incredible!!!
Easy and an absolute winner with the family.
I make a cake most weekends and I think this is the softest cake I ever made, delicious. Thanks so much for sharing 🤤
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy it was a hit for you, Deb! Thanks so much for coming back to leave a review–we appreciate it! 😊