This is, hands down, the BEST banana cake I’ve ever had. It’s soft, moist and rich all at the same time! Once cooled this cake is topped with a totally irresistible lemon cream cheese frosting for a perfect dessert your family will love.
I love a good banana cake, it just reminds me of being a kid because my Grandpa and Grandma made the BEST banana cupcakes. I can still smell them baking in my grandma’s kitchen, waiting impatiently with my sisters.
This cake is reminiscent of my favorite banana cupcakes. It is soft and fluffy and incredibly moist and topped with my favorite ever lemony cream cheese frosting.
As much as I love a fluffy banana cake, I love it even more when it’s topped with an amazing cream cheese frosting! I add in a little bit of lemon zest and lemon juice for extra flavor in my cream cheese frosting but if you prefer, you can leave out the lemon and substitute vanilla.
Regardless of how you top it, once you try this cake, it’ll be your go-to. Every time you have overripe bananas on the counter you’ll want to make this recipe! In fact, I often buy extra bananas to ripen and make this cake!
Tips to ensure a soft moist result:
- Ensure your ingredients are at room temperature (eggs and butter)
- You need the acidity from the lemon juice (& milk) mixture. Subbing in just milk or cream won’t work. (You can use buttermilk in its place if needed).
- When mixing your butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla, beat the mixture until VERY fluffy, almost the consistency of a fluffy buttercream frosting. This should take about 5 minutes.
- When adding the flour mixture you want to mix until just combined. Over-mixing will cause a dense chewy result.
- The cooking time on this cake can vary! Check your cake at 55 minutes, if it isn’t ready, continue cooking until a toothpick comes out clean (this can be up to an additional 20 minutes depending on your oven). The result will be a moist and irresistible banana cake.
Happy Baking!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 2 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice divided
- 1 ⅓ cups mashed bananas about 4 medium bananas
- ⅔ cup unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- ⅓ cup butter softened
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice or vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoons lemon zest from 1 lemon, optional
- 3-3 ½ cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 pan.
- Place 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice in a measuring cup. Top to 1 ½ cups with milk. Set aside.
- Mix together mashed banana with 1 tablespoon lemon juice, set aside.
- Beat together butter, brown and white sugar until combined. Add in eggs one at a time and vanilla. Mix on high until light and fluffy (almost the texture of frosting).
- Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Alternate adding flour mixture and milk to egg mixture stirring just until combined. (Do not overmix). Fold in bananas. Pour into prepared pan.
- Put into the oven and reduce heat to 300°F. Bake 60 – 70 minutes (see note below) or just until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (do not over bake).
- Remove from oven and place in the freezer for 45 minutes to make the cake extra moist. Cool completely before frosting.
FROSTING
- Cream together butter & cream cheese until fluffy. Add in lemon zest and juice.
- Add powdered sugar a little at a time until you reach desired consistency. Spread over cooled cake.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
This recipe has been retested and updated 11/20/16.
Very slightly adapted from food.com
Every time I make this cake everyone LOVES it 😋
Is the banana cake still good for some time? Thank you
Hi Puti, it should last up to 2 days in the counter or 4-5 days in the refrigerator.
No evidence of instruction in adding the milk…..
Hi Rosemary, in step 2, it says “Top to 1 ½ cups with milk.”
Just baked this cake in my glass 9 x 13 pan. I KNOW that if I put this in the freezer the glass
would crack. No freezer for this cake.
Made this recipe as instructed. It’s delicious. I didn’t have lemon so I substituted orange juice.
Instead of using lemon juice, follow these steps to make your milk mixture: Put 1 ½ tablespoons of orange juice into your measuring cup.Stir in ¼ teaspoon of cream of tartar until it dissolves.Pour your milk into the cup until the liquid reaches exactly the 1 ½ cup line.
Thank you for this recipe.
everyone is preparing it so fancily. Do you think I should prepare it as is, or use a different strategy?
Hi Mike, I think it’s wonderful as is but it can also be tailored to your needs!
I made this absolutely delicious cake, I didn’t have any cream cheese for topping, so right before serving I used some powdered sugar for a nice look. Ty again for another reason why I follow you!
Yum
Hi, I’m confused…so just to be clear here…the cake is supposed to be taken directly from the oven and put directly into the freezer (without covering) for 45 minutes then immediately frosted? Thank you
Yes, except after taking it out of the freezer, you want to make sure that it is completely cool before frosting. Otherwise, the frosting will melt off.
Do you cover the cake in the freezer? Or just leave it as is? Also could I use a Bundt pan I realize cooking time will be different.
Thanks
Hi Donelda, I do not wrap or cover the cake, simply set it in. We have only tried this recipe as written but other readers have made it in a bundt pan with great results! Try baking for 55 minutes at 325°F in a greased and floured bundt pan, but check it early just in case. I hope that helps!
Hi Holly, Love you recipes. Do the bananas need to be a little overripe for the Banana Cake? Whenever I make banana bread it is always recommended that they be overripe with the brown skins.
Yes Richard, we use bananas that are ripe with some brown spots.
Delicious!!
Followed the recipe to a tee and it came out heavy and dense.
Noticed the cake immediately sank when removing it from the oven.
Perhaps it should have remained in the oven for a time before moving to the freezer.
Also, wondering if cutting back on the bananas would yield a lighter cake.
Florida humidity?
I think likely it was too much moisture. Were they frozen bananas that you thawed? I don’t know if it could be a humidity problem, but maybe? It also could have been underbaked. Did you do a check to make sure it was done?
Can I make this into a 2 layer cake with 9 inch circular cake pans? If so, should I double the recipe?
While I haven’t tried this as a layer cake, many readers have successfully used this recipe to prepare a layer cake. Let us know how it goes!
So excited to make this next Friday for my son’s birthday next Friday! Thinking I’m going to turn this recipe into cupcakes. I’ll top them with my peanut butter frosting and fill them with a caramelized banana filling!
awesome.
Can I bake in two round pans?
Hi Julie, While I haven’t tried it, other readers have successfully baked this in 8-inch round pans at 350°F for 28-30 minutes. Let us know how it goes!
Absolutely the best!!!!!
Baking this cake now in 2 8in rounds. Need to freeze for a couple days and then giving away as part of a meal for a friend. How do you recommend freezing? And do you ice before and freeze or after thawed?
I would let the cake cool, fully wrap it, freeze it, and then take it out the night before and frost it right before serving. Enjoy!
Just made it and can’t wait for it to cool, so I can put the frosting on and get a piece. It looks so delicious. I made mine in a bunt pan. Will use this recipe again.
I’ve made this recipe so many times, but I need it for a smaller group this time. Would halving it still work okay?
I haven’t tried halving it but I can’t see why it wouldn’t work. I find the best way to half an egg is to beat it and measure half either with a scale or small measuring cup.
The other alternative is to make the whole cake and freeze some as it freezes beautifully. Enjoy!
Followed the recipe to a “T” and made the most delicious cake! I got so many compliments!!!!
Truly amazing