Banana Cake

Boos, let’s get into this bomb Banana Cake recipe. It’s soft, moist, and rich in all the right ways y’all. Packed with ripe banana, surprise hints of pineapple, and slathered in that tangy cream cheese frosting, this banana cake is a straight-up boss move when it comes to beauty and mouthwatering deliciousness.

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A slice of banana cake with cream cheese frosting being pulled out of whole cake with bananas in the background

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Y’all I fee like banana cake doesn’t get enough shine. Folks steady talking about banana bread but honestly, a banana cake recipe is a whole mood when done right. It’s fluffy with a tender crumb, full of banana flavor and smothered in cream cheese frosting. This one from my boo Kelly Senyei is a hit each and every time y’all.

The Lowdown on This Banana Cake

Closeup of Jocelyn in pink dress smiling

Cuisine Inspiration: Comfort Classic

Primary Cooking Method: Baking

Dietary Info: Contains gluten and dairy

Key Flavor: Rich, comforting and unmistakably banana!

Skill Level: Medium skillz (we gotta frost the cake boos!)

No fancy ingredients, no complicated techniques. We keep it no-fuss but still as delish as can be. Even my beginner bakers can get down with this recipe. The hardest part is frosting the cake y’all.

Turn to this banana cake when you have leftover bananas on the kitchen counter. The payoff is perfect for a celebration or a “just because” day.

Ain’t no dry cake around these parts. Thanks to the natural moisture from bananas, this cake stays insanely moist, even for leftovers the next day and the next (if it lasts that long!).

Ingredients you’ll need to make this Banana Cake Recipe

Bananas and cake ingredients in white bowls on white countertop
  • Bananas: These are the main ingredient. They add both bomb moisture and tons of natural sweetness.
  • Crushed Pineapple: If you haven’t had a little pineapple in your banana cake, you are in for a treat honey. It’s giving hummingbird cake but not all the way ya dig? It adds bright acidic pops of sweetness through.
  • All Purpose Flour – This is gonna provide the structure our moist cake needs to stand up to the fork boos.
  • Baking Soda – Our soda is gonna add a nice lift to the cake. Make sure it’s fresh and active too!
  • Salt- We always add a lil’ salt to the sweet to enhance and balance flavors.
  • Unsalted Butter – This is our creamy rich ingredient that adds delish flavor.
  • Granulated Sugar – We add just enough to give the bananas a little more pop of sweetness. When measuring sugar, look out for large clumps and remove them before creaming.ย 
  • Eggs – These are our binder and lifting agent. When beaten, they incorporate more air in the batter. Make sure they are room temp when you add them in boos.
  • Vanilla – Nothing gives a wonderful aromatic essence like this.
  • Buttermilk – The acidity in buttermilk is what makes this cake so incredibly moist and perfectly tangy too y’all.
  • Cream Cheese Frosting- The crown of our easy banana cake recipe is a frosting made with cream cheese, unsalted butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. It’s a match made in heaven boos.

How to make banana cake

Pineapple and banana together in a glass bowl on white background
1
Add mashed banana and pineapple to a small bowl.
Stirred together banana and pineapple in a glass bowl on a white background
2
Stir together until combined then set aside.
Dry ingredients in a glass bowl on a white countertop
3
Add flour, baking soda and salt together in a clear bowl.
Dry ingredients stirred together in a glass bowl on white countertop
4
Whisk together then set aside.
Butter and sugar in a stand mixer bowl on white countertop
5
In your stand mixer bowl, mix together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Eggs added to simple banana cake recipe batter in stand mixer bowl
6
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing them in after each addition.
Vanilla extract added to a stand mixer bowl on white background
7
Then add in the vanilla extract.
Dry ingredients added to stand mixer bowl to make easy banana cake batter
8
Beat in the flour mixture.
Buttermilk being added to cake with banana recipe on white countertop
9
Then alternate with the buttermilk.
Banana and pineapple being added to cake with banana recipe on white background
10
Finally fold in the mashed banana mixture.
Banana cake batter added to two cake pans on white countertop before baking
11
Divide the batter between the two prepared cake pans.
Two baked layers of banana cake recipe on white countertop
12
Bake the cakes for 55-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove the cakes from the oven and allow them to cool completely.
Cream cheese and butter added to a stand mixer bowl on white countertop
13
Mix together the cream cheese and butter until ultra smooth.
Confectioner's sugar added to stand mixer to make cream cheese frosting
14
Add confectioners’ sugar and vanilla extract and beat until combined.
Cream cheese frosting on layer of banana cake on white countertop
15
Arrange one cake layer on a serving platter. Top it with half of the frosting.
Final amount of cream cheese frosting on simple cake with banana recipe
16
Arrange the second cake layer on top. Frost the top of the cake with the remaining frosting. Slice and serve it up boos.

What to serve with cake with banana

Recipe Substitutions

  • Banana: Don’t even try it boos. Stick with the main ingredient.
  • Butter: You can use salted butter here. Just omit the salt in the recipe. You can also replace with a neutral oil for more moisture.
  • Sugar: Replace the granulated with brown sugar for a hint of depth from the molasses.
  • Buttermilk: If you ain’t got any lying around, you can make your own with a cup of milk and a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar added. Let it curdle and use instead. You can also swap in some sour cream if you want.

Recipe Variations and Additions

  • Gluten-Free: Replace the flour with a 1:1 ratio gluten-free baking flour. The texture might change slightly but it will still be absolutely delish.
  • Brown that butter: There is a reason why everyone goes crazy for my famous carrot cake recipe, it’s that brown butter cream cheese frosting. It makes such a huge difference in the flavor of this cake with banana y’all.
  • Add-ins: You can add anything from chocolate chips to chopped pecans into this banana cake batter with amazing results. Do you boo!
  • Caramel it Up: Add some easy caramel sauce in between layers or add caramel buttercream to give it a really indulgent vibe.
  • Cake Pop It Up: Mix the cake and frosting together and form into balls then dip in melted chocolate and decorate it up boos.
An overhead of a layer cake with banana slices and nuts on top

Expert Tips and Tricks for making the best banana cake with cream cheese frosting

  1. Go Ripe: Choose fully ripe, brown-spotted bananas for the best natural sweetness and moisture.
  2. Sift it Up: Now this is optional y’all but it produces a more tender cakeย 
  3. Go Room Temp: Sugar and butter won’t cream together if the butter is not at room temperature. So, set out the butter at least an hour or two before baking.ย 
  4. Don’t Overmix: Chill out when you start adding in your dry ingredients. Overdoing it will overactivate the gluten and make your cake tough boos.
A delicious two layer easy banana cake recipe with mashed bananas in the batter baked until golden against white background

How to store easy banana cake

If you are gonna finish this baby up in about 2 days, it can stay at room temp. If you need to store longer than that, place the cake in the fridge uncovered for about 15 minutes to allow the frosting to harden a bit. Then, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and pop back in the fridge. You can also keep it in a cake container too.

How long will cake with banana last in the fridge?

Banana cake will keep in the fridge for about 4 to 5 days.

Can I freeze this simple banana cake recipe?

Yep for sure boos. Let the frosting stiffen up then cover in plastic wrap super tightly then wrap the cake in foil, place in a freezer-safe bag, label with the date and keep it in the freezer. Once frozen, the cake will keep for 2-3 months.ย 

A slice of cake with banana standing up on a white plate ready to enjoy

Frequently asked questions

Help! My bananas aren’t ripe enough to make this banana cake recipe!

It’s all good boos. If you need to ripen your bananas quickly, use this great trick. Add your unpeeled bananas to a foil lined baking sheet pan, and bake at 300 degrees F for 15-20 minutes until the banana skins turn black. Then use those right up in the recipe.

How do I know when my banana cake layers are done baking?

Use the good ole toothpick trick boos. Insert a toothpick or skewer into the center of your cakes, and if they come out clean or just with a few crumbs, they are good to go.

Can I bake this cake with banana in advance?

For sure y’all. You can bake and frost this cake for best results up to 2 days ahead of serving. Just make sure you store in an airtight container or covered really well so it stays nice and moist.

A large slice of easy banana cake recipe on a white plate with a fork slicing through it

Y’all this banana cake is definitely a must try dessert. I know banana bread is what we all think about making when we have ripe bananas lying around but reconsider. This cake with bananas is the move when you got a sweet tooth and need something a bit indulgent.

My Fave Banana Recipes

A slice of banana cake with cream cheese frosting being pulled out of whole cake with bananas in the background

Banana Cake

This Banana Cake is filled with banana flavor, studded with pieces of juicy pineapple and coated in tangy cream cheese frosting.
5 from 8 votes
Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Course: Dessert
Servings: 12 servings

Ingredients

For the Banana Cake

  • cooking spray
  • 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas
  • 8 oz crushed pineapple drained
  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter room temperature
  • 2 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs room temperature
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup buttermilk

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 16 oz cream cheese room temperature
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract

Instructions

For the Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease 2 9 inch round cake pans with cooking spray. Line the pans with parchment paper, then grease the parchment paper with cooking spray.
  • In a small bowl, stir together the mashed bananas and pineapple. Set aside. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating between each addition, then add the vanilla extract. Beat in the flour mixture alternating with the buttermilk. Fold in the mashed banana mixture.
  • Divide the batter between the two prepared cake pans. Bake the cakes for 55-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove the cakes from the oven and allow them to cool completely.

For the Frosting

  • In the clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add the confectioners' sugar and vanilla extract and beat until combined.
  • To assemble the cake, remove the cake layers from the pans and discard the parchment paper. Arrange one cake layer on a serving platter. Top it with half of the frosting. Arrange the second cake layer on top. Frost the top of the cake with the remaining frosting. Slice and serve.

Notes

How to store easy banana cake

If you are gonna finish this baby up in about 2 days, it can stay at room temp. If you need to store longer than that, place the cake in the fridge uncovered for about 15 minutes to allow the frosting to harden a bit. Then, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and pop back in the fridge. You can also keep it in a cake cover too.

How long will cake with banana last in the fridge?

Banana cake will keep in the fridge for 4 to 5 days.

Can I freeze this simple banana cake recipe?

Yep for sure boos. Let the frosting stiffen up then cover in plastic wrap super tightly then wrap the cake in aluminum foil, place in a (labeled) freezer-safe bag and keep it in the freezer. Once frozen, the cake will keep for 2-3 months.ย 

Nutrition

Calories: 695kcal | Carbohydrates: 82g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 23g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 146mg | Sodium: 348mg | Potassium: 229mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 55g | Vitamin A: 1331IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 82mg | Iron: 2mg
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Filed Under:  Cake, Dessert and Baking, Oven

Comments

    1. You can, but you will likely have leftover batter and the cooking time will need to be adjusted. I have not made this recipe in a 9×13 myself so I do not have exact times/measurements for it.

  1. This recipe Looks delish! Would it work as cupcakes? (Iโ€™m thinking for a toddler birthday, cupcakes may be easier) if so, what temp / time do you recommend?

    1. You can for sure turn it into cupcakes, I have not personally tested this recipe in cupcake form so I am not sure on the temp/time. It would be something that would need to be watched for sure.

  2. Hi! I’m wondering if you have a vanilla frosting recipe that would go great with this cake? I don’t like cheese of any kind.
    Thank you!!

5 from 8 votes

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