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 3 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
Excellent!! I’m making it again tomorrow afternoon!
Will I need to double the recipe to use a 9 in round cake pan? Or will it be the same?? Thank you!
(I make this cake often and so many people ask me to make them their own for occasions. SO GOOD!)
I have only made this recipe as listed so I can’t say for sure but other readers have with success. If using a 9-inch round cake pan, you will have extra batter. So depending on that you are making you could double the recipe and bake 3 x 9-inch round pans to avoid having leftover batter.
Amazing
We’re cutting back on sugar, and only put half of the white (cane ) sugar in this recipie . The frosting makes up for it, but it was perfectly sweet enough for us!! Our new favorite! ❤️
this recipe is THE BEST I have ever eaten! instead of using a 9×13 pan, I used a 17inX11in (sheet cake) I like the thinner cake versus the regular size. I increased the frosting by 1-1/2 as you have a bigger area to frost. I was incredibly impressed by how delicious it was. oh, and i baked the cake for about 17 minutes. thank you for sharing!!
I use this recipe to make a banana pudding cake. I poke holes once it has cooled. Pour French vanilla pudding before it completely sets. Then sliced bananas and whipped topping to finish it off. I garnish with Chessmen cookies. It is a big hit!
Great recipe that I’ve made many times to rave reviews. Today I only have cake flour, no all-purpose. Can I substitute?
I have never tried this recipe with cake flour but I would love to hear how it turns out for you! Other readers have had good results though.
Made this cake several times it is amazing, great flavor and it is so easy is make
Making this as we speak! Just came out of the oven and it smells amazing. I just wanted to make a note that a glass cake pan should not go into the freezer after baking. I was about to follow the instructions to put the pan in the freezer but somehow remembered that hot glass will break in the freezer. Since I can’t follow that step, I hope it’ll still come out moist.
I want to make this in three 9 1/2 inch pans for a birthday cake. How many batches of this recipe would I need?
Hi Lea, for 3 9 inch pans I would double the recipe. I would love to hear how it turns out!
best cake ever!!!
This is the 2nd time I have made this beautiful cake. Everyone always loves it!! My daughter says it is hands down the beat cake she has ever had. Thanks so much for the amazing recipe😋