This Easy Moist Banana Cake Recipe takes dessert to a new level. Plus, the cream cheese frosting on top is the best. Grab a hot cup of coffee and enjoy this amazing cake for dessert.
We love to make this cake recipe that is loaded with so much banana flavor. It is literally bursting with bananas and the most decadent cream cheese icing. It is so moist and one of our favorite cakes to make.
The next time you have bananas that are getting too ripe, make this cake. You will be so glad you did. We love that you can make the cake from scratch with simple pantry ingredients.
We actually freeze bananas, and it is perfect for recipes like this. It saves time and money. This Banana Cake is perfect to serve for the holidays or after a weeknight meal. It is such an easy banana cake recipe.
Table of contents
How is Banana Bread and Banana Cake Different?
Banana cake is sweeter than banana bread. You will find cake is more on the dessert side and usually includes a glaze or frosting on top.
Whereas, banana bread is less sweet.
Ingredients
- Bananas. Large, ripe bananas mashed.
- Flour. Measure accurately by spooning the all purpose flour into the cup instead of scooping it.
- Baking Soda. You can use one of the Best Baking Soda Substitutes.
- Ground Cinnamon. This enhances the flavor of the bananas.
- Butter. Softened at room temperature.
- Sugar. Granulated sugar.
- Brown Sugar. Homemade Brown Sugar Recipe is great in this recipe if you don’t have store bought.
- Vanilla Extract. Use pure vanilla extract for the best results.
- Milk. I prefer to use whole milk, but you can use other variations.
- Lemon Juice. Fresh is best.
Cream Cheese Icing
- Cream Cheese. Softened at room temperature. This will make it so much easier to blend.
- Butter. Allow this to soften at room temperature as well.
- Powdered Sugar. Sift the powdered sugar so the icing will be smooth.
Get the complete list of ingredients at the bottom of the page.
How to Make Banana Cake
- Step 1 – Prepare oven and Baking Pan – Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9X13 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray or grease and flour the pan.
Step 2. Mix the milk and lemon juice together and set aside. Mix these ingredients together with a wooden spoon in a medium bowl.
Step 3. With a stand mixer or a hand-held mixer combine the butter. Add in both of the sugars until well combined.
Step 4. Add in the eggs one at a time.
Step 5. Combine until smooth.
Step 6. Next, add in the vanilla extract. Mix on high speed until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Step 7. Then mix in the dry ingredients. Add salt in a large bowl and combine.
Step 8. Gradually add the flour mixture and milk mixture to the butter mix.
Step 9. Gently stir in the mashed bananas into the wet ingredients.
Step 10. Combine until mixed together.
Step 11. Pour the mixture into the 9X13 cake pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool.
Step 12. Beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Gradually add in the powdered sugar. Then stir in the vanilla extract.
Step 13. Spread the cream cheese frosting over the cake. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and then slice.
Expert Tips
- Use Ripened Bananas – It is important to use ripe bananas in this recipe. This allows you to get the most banana flavor into the cake as possible. Ripened bananas mash better to blend with the other ingredients.
- Frosting – You can use any frosting/ glaze you would like on this recipe. I really liked a cream cheese frosting or glaze.
- Add Nuts – Feel free to add ⅓ cup of walnuts to this recipe. Adding nuts gives it some texture and a little bit of nutty flavor.
- Room Temperature Ingredients – Room temperature ingredients are best. Allow the eggs and butter to sit at room temperature before mixing.
- Mixing Ingredients – Don’t overmix the batter. Stir until just combined.
- Measuring Cup – When measuring out the ingredients we recommend measuring with a measuring cup. This way you do not add to much of one ingredient.
- Cooking Time – Cooking time will vary with this cake. Make sure to check the cake after baking it for about 40 minutes.
How to Serve
- Cream Cheese Frosting – I love making a cream cheese frosting for this Banana Cake. Purchase store-bought or make homemade cream cheese frosting or Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting.
- Peanut Butter frosting – With only 4 ingredients, peanut butter icing is so easy to make.
- Vanilla frosting – You can easily grab this from your local grocery store or make homemade.
- Whipped Cream and chocolate chips – Dollop each slice with whipped topping before serving and chocolate chips.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can store this cake for 5 days on the counter or in the fridge in an airtight container. However, if you use a cream cheese frosting, it will need to be refrigerated.
We all agree that we love to serve this cake cold with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
We used 3 ripe bananas for this recipe, but if you only have 2 then it will still turn out delicious. It will depend on the size of the bananas. If they are smaller, you may need 4 bananas.
Yes, this banana cake can easily be placed in the freezer. This way you can enjoy this banana cake for several months.
Place this cake inside an airtight container that is freezer safe. I suggest freezing in slices separated by wax paper. This makes it easy to just grab a single serving when you want something sweet.
This cake can be frozen up to 3 months. You can thaw overnight in the refrigerator when ready to serve.
More Easy Cake Recipes
- Blueberry Coffee Cake Recipe
- Cinnamon Roll Cake Recipe
- Cranberry Cake Recipe
- Better Than Sex Cake Recipe
- Hummingbird Cake Recipe
More Banana Recipes
- Banana Pudding Cookies Recipe
- Banana Split Cake Recipe
- Banana Coffee Cake
- Homemade Banana Pudding recipe
- The Best Banana Dessert Recipes
This is the best banana cake and perfect for breakfast or dessert. Make it today and see why our family loves it so much. Don’t forget to leave a comment and star rating once you do.
Easy Moist Banana Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 Large Ripe Bananas Mashed
- 3 cups Flour
- 1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 3/4 cup Butter softened at room temperature
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
- 3 large Eggs
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 1/2 cups Milk
- 1 1/2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
- Ingredients for Cream Cheese Icing:
- 1 8 oz Package of Cream Cheese, softened at room temperature
- 1/4 cup Butter softened at room temperature
- 3-4 cups Powdered Sugar shifted
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and spray a 9X13 baking pan with non stick cooking spray or grease and flour the pan.
- Mix the milik and lemon juice together and set aside.
- With a hand held mixer or stand up mixer combine the butter and both of the sugars until well combined. Add in the eggs one at a time. Then add in the vanilla extract. Mix on high spreed until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Then mix in the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium size bowl. Gradually add the flour mixture and milk mixture to the butter mix. Alternate adding each one in until both are fully added.
- Gently stir in the mashed bananas.
- Pour the mixture into the 9X13 pan.
- Baked for 40-45 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Watch closely as baking times vary.
- Remove the oven and place the cake on a wire rack to cool completely.
- While the cake is cooling, create the frosting. Beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Gradually add in the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time and mix in between each cup until the frosting is the thickness that you desire. Stir in the vanilla extract.
- Spread the cream cheese frosting over the cake, refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and then slice, serve and enjoy!
