★★★★★

Banana Cake Recipe

Bananas and cake together make for a heavenly combination. Make this Banana Cake layered with either a cream cheese frosting or cinnamon buttercream frosting and everyone will want to fight over who gets the last piece!

Banana Cake recipe with cinnamon buttercream frosting

Why this Recipe is Best

As much as I love banana everything, I have a gripe with some banana cakes. Too many are just banana bread recipes baked up in a cake pan and renamed.

Don’t get me wrong! I adore a good banana bread in all its variations from Classic Banana Bread to Nutella Swirled Banana Bread. A loaf never lasts long in my house!

That said, when I want cake I want CAKE. I want it to be moist, sweet, rich and (usually) covered in frosting. A good banana cake has to be worthy of its status as “dessert.”

Let me tell you, folks. This Banana Cake recipe, well, takes the cake!

Made with plenty of ripe bananas and butter, you get rich banana flavor in every bite.

Then, there’s the frosting–fluffy cream cheese frosting with or without added cinnamon to create a luscious treat.

More Tips & Tricks

  • How to make cake layers even: I use Wilton Bake Even Cake Strips to get perfectly even layers with no hassle. If you don’t have any, you can also slice off the puffed tops of your cake layers so they fit together evenly.
  • Use ripe bananas: To make this cake moist and sweet, I recommend using very ripe (even over ripe) bananas. They have higher sugar content and they mash up much more easily! Got green bananas? Use the oven to ripen bananas!
  • Mashing bananas: If you’re making the cake batter in a stand mixer, there’s no need to pre-mash the bananas first. Just add them to the bowl and your mixer will do the work for you! If you’re making this without a mixer, I recommend mashing the bananas in a separate bowl with a fork or potato masher to make sure no big chunks are left.
  • How to store: This cake stays moist and delicious for several days after baking! Store it covered in the fridge and enjoy cold or at room temperature.

More Easy Dessert Recipes

Yield: 16 servings

Banana Cake

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes

This Banana Cake is everything you want it to be, and more! Two moist layers of 'from scratch' Banana Cake, topped with a sweet Cream Cheese frosting!

Ingredients

For the cake:

  • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 bananas (about 2 cups mashed)
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon

For the frosting:

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 package (8 ounce) cream cheese, softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon, optional

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Grease two 9-inch cake pans with shortening and flour. I like to use these Wilton's Bake Even Strips. It keeps your cake layers level and flat, perfect for stacking (and the just slide right onto your cake pans)! Set aside.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add in egg, vanilla, and bananas (you can mash them first, but I toss them in and it does the work). Add in flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Beat for a couple minutes until fully blended.
  3. Pour batter evenly between the two cake pans. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and cool in pans for about 10 minutes. Flip onto a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
  4. For the frosting, beat butter and cream cheese for 3-4 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add in vanilla, heavy cream, and powdered sugar. Beat an additional 3-5 minutes. scraping down the sides of the bowl periodically. Beat in 1 teaspoon of cinnamon if you want a cinnamon spice frosting.
  5. To assemble the cake, lay one layer of cooled cake on a cake plate. Spoon frosting over middle layer generously. Top with second layer of cake. Spoon and spread frosting over cake evenly. ENJOY!

Notes

  • Ensure that your butter (and cream cheese for the frosting) are room temperature.
  • Don't over mix the cake batter. When adding the dry ingredients, do it just until combined.
  • Check your oven temperature for accuracy. Oven temps oven vary, so if you don't have a gauge in your oven, be sure to check your cake early.
  • Use Wilton's bake even strips. They wrap around your cake pan and create LEVEL cakes which results in NO waste.
  • Nutrition Information:

    Yield:

    16

    Serving Size:

    1

    Amount Per Serving: Calories: 418Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 63mgSodium: 169mgCarbohydrates: 59gFiber: 1gSugar: 43gProtein: 3g

    *Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietitian for special diet advice.

    Did you make this recipe?

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    When you need an easy banana flavored dessert recipe that everyone will love, look no further than Banana Cake I’d eat it every day if I could!

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    About Aimee

    Aimee is a dessert lover (specifically rice krispie treats), workout enthusiast, self-taught foodie, and recipe creator.

    Learn more about Aimee.

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    Posted on March 14, 2023

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