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
Absolutely delicious and so moist!
This cake is great and eady to make! Mine came out a bit dense but so moist! The lemon cream cheese frosting is tasty, but a bit too much for me. Next time I will try the vanilla instead, but the revipe is great! I have tried several of your recipes and have found them spot on.
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I made it but I reverse creamed it added cinnamon sugar on the bottom and top and I used a copper loaf pan. next time ill use brown butter thank you 😊
Do you taste the lemon in the actual cake? That won’t work for what I’m doing so I want to be sure
Hi Meghan, you don’t really taste the lemon juice in the cake but it does help with the rise the moisture in the cake so I wouldn’t omit it. However you might want to omit the cream cheese frosting as you can definitely taste the lemon in it.
Can this be made in 2 9” circle pans instead? How would that change the cooking temp and time?
Absolutely! I would begin checking the cake around 30 minutes for doneness with a toothpick. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
Made the cake with 2 9” pans. Followed the same temperature instructions but cut the baking time to 40-45 mins. It turned out great!
I’m concerned about putting my Pyrex 9×13 pan directly into the freezer from the oven
Won’t it break???
Rose, you can set it on the counter for your dish to cool down a bit before popping it in the freezer if you are nervous. But it helps make the cake extra moist so I definitely recommend trying it.
Love it!!
OMG this cake is fantastic. I love it. I thought I’d messed it up because I forgot to put the butter in it but it turned out great. The lemon cream cheese icing was amazing. I put extra lemon juice in the icing I’m sure it was perfect the way it was, but I just wanted a little extra lemony. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!!! I will definitely be making it again. Hopefully next time I remember to put the butter in it.;)
You’re very welcome Diana! I’m so glad it turned out for you! It is definitely a family favorite.
This cake was a huge hit. I made it without frosting. I made the recipe as is. The only thing I added was a little bit of freshly grated nutmeg. I have been asked to make it again.
New family favorite. Made twice now and everyone loved it. Subbed plain greek yogurt for the milk with lemon juice. Also, I want to try to lessen the sugar content a little. Will let you know how that goes.
I’m not a baker but this cake came out great! And the lemon twist to the frosting was a perfect match.
Do I leave the out or place in the refrigerator?
I’m so glad to hear that it turned out so well for you Dione! I usually store it in the refrigerator, with plastic wrap on top of the baking dish or in an air tight container. I try to leave it at room temp at least 30 min before serving too. I hope that helps!
The best banana cake I’ve ever had or made. I do prefer a less sweet cream cheese frosting so I did 8 ounces cream cheese and 1/4 cup butter with just 1.5 cups of powdered sugar. Thank you for this amazing recipe!!
Wonderful cake!!!
She is right, this is my go to recipe for banana cake.
I added chocolate chips and do not frost the cake.
That is perfect for my family because this cake is so darn good it did not need the frosting.
This was an absolute hit! And the cream cheese frosting was to die for! ❤️
I have an heirloom heart shaped Bundt cake mold I want to use for my daughter’s bday with this recipe… you think it would work? Looks delicious!
How cute would that be! 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,
I followed all the instructions to T but for some reason I cooked it at the time that it requested also lowered the oven to 300°. But the knife came out clean when I checked it. so I knew the cake was cooked. Let it sit about 15 minutes. And the cake was fully densed, it wasn’t fluffy at all. It’s very heavy and undercooked. But smells great, but very disappointed 😞
I am sorry to hear that, Josephine. I can’t say for sure what happened as I haven’t had it turn out dense before. Did you use soured milk or buttermilk in the recipe and check the expiration date of your baking soda?
do you cover while in freezer
Renee, I do not wrap or cover the cake, simply set it in.
Can this be baked in a loaf pan?
I haven’t tried this as loaves although I am sure it would work with modified bake times. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
As an avid baker and frequent banana cake recipe explorer, I concur this is the best- did it without the frosting.
Used a 9×9 pan and two-thirds of the recipe, and baked for a couple min shy of 40 minutes. A true ringer!