The Best Banana Cake Recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting
Print RecipeA supremely moist banana cake packed with real banana flavor, subtle caramel notes from brown sugar, and a touch of cinnamon. Topped with tangy cream cheese frosting for the ultimate decadent treat. Perfect for potlucks, family gatherings, or any day you need a crowd-pleasing dessert.
Servings: 16 slices
equipment (affiliate links
- kitchen scale for best accuracy
- hand mixer or
- Parchment paper if making a layer cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 1½ c. (345g g) bananas very ripe and mashed - 3-4 medium bananas (up to 360g)
- 1 tsp. lemon juice
- 3 c. (375 g) unbleached all-purpose flour (RECOMMEND WEIGHING)
- 1½ tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- ¾ c. (170 g) salted butter room temperature
- 1 c. (200 g) granulated sugar
- ½ c. (100 g) light brown sugar packed
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1½ c. (360 g) buttermilk room temperature
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz. (226 g) full-fat cream cheese softened
- ½ c. (113 g) salted butter softened
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp. salt
- 3½ c. (420 g) powdered sugar sifted
- 1 tbsp. heavy cream optional for fluffier texture
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9x13-inch pan (or two 9-inch rounds) and line with parchment (optional).
- Mash bananas with lemon juice until mostly smooth (small chunks OK). Set aside.
- Whisk flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl.
- Beat butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy (~2–3 minutes).
- Add eggs one at a time, then vanilla.
- Alternate adding dry ingredients and buttermilk (start/end with dry). Mix just until combined.
- Fold in mashed bananas.
- Pour into prepared pan(s). Bake 30–35 minutes (9x13) or 25–30 minutes (rounds) until toothpick comes out clean or with moist crumbs.
- Cool in pan 10 minutes, then fully on wire rack.
- For frosting: Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add vanilla/salt, then gradually powdered sugar. Add cream if needed for spreadability.
- Frost cooled cake. Garnish with nuts, banana slices (add just before serving a slice, or cinnamon.
Notes
- Use very ripe bananas for best flavor/moisture.
- Room-temp ingredients help emulsify and lighten cake.
- Store frosted cake in fridge up to 4–5 days; bring to room temp before serving.
- Unfrosted layers freeze up to 2 months.
- Using Frozen Bananas:
- Frozen bananas work great—freezing concentrates flavor!
- Thaw in colander, drain excess brown liquid (~¼ cup from 3–4 bananas).
- Mash drained bananas to 1½ cups.
- Optional: Substitute drained liquid for equal amount of buttermilk (e.g., 1¼ cups buttermilk + ¼ cup banana liquid) to keep moisture perfect without over-wetting batter.
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 647kcal | Carbohydrates: 115g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 76mg | Sodium: 459mg | Potassium: 227mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 77g | Vitamin A: 580IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 103mg | Iron: 2mg
