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
First time I made it turned out perfectly and was eaten quickly. The second time it didn’t rise was dense and not very good. Going to try again.
Hope it works out just as well as the first time!
Hi
can I substitute mashed banana fruit with pure banana extract for a birthday
The mashed banana adds texture and moisture to the cake, I would not suggest substituting the bananas with extract. If you don’t have bananas available, I might suggest making a white cake and adding banana extract.
I’m making the cake for my nephew’s 4th birthday party. He requested a banana cake with chocolate frosting. Thinking of using this recipe but I need to get the ingredients ahead of time so the bananas have time to ripe. Approximately how many would I need to make 2 layers? Also, any recommendations for a good chocolate frosting recipe that would pair well with this?
Thanks!
Each banana is approximately ⅓ cup mashed, so for each recipe, you’d need about 4 bananas. This cake is delicious with my Chocolate Ganache Frosting! I’m sure your nephew will LOVE it!
While I can’t eat bananas, (migraine trigger) my husband is absolutely mad for this cake. I followed your recipe to the letter, and it turned out beautifully. There’s one small piece left, and he’s already begging for me to make another, lol. Fantastic cake. Wonderful blog and killer recipes. : )
Thank you Bev! I’m so glad that your husband loves it. Sorry that you can’t try it :(
Holly, Holly, Holly. Omg – I couldn’t think of a good enough word so I’ll take another commenter’s: DIVINE. Is there a way to make the word ‘DIVINE’ bold print? Lol GIRL – this was amazing beyond description and it’s funny because I didn’t even see it on your blog but another’s. I follow the recipe blogs/sites of so many and yours is absolutely one of them, but due to that I don’t always remember the blogger’s first name specifically so when on this other site I saw ‘Holly’s Banana Cake’, I had to try it as I ALWAYS have a ton of bananas. It is soooooo moist and SO DELICIOUS and doesn’t need a LICK of frosting but with the frosting it’s just out of this world. As many of your other recipes are, this is a total WINNER.
Aww, Lady T, thank you so much visiting my blog and for your review! I’m so glad you loved this banana cake as much as we did! ❤️
I just made this for my elderly home care and it turned out very good, everybody likes it. Thank you for sharing your recipe, i will definitely make again and this will be added to my dessert list.
Glad to hear it was such a success Schey!
What flour do you use plz x
I use all purpose flour in this recipe. Enjoy!
Is the butter salted or unsalted in the cake recipe?
I use unsalted butter. If using salted butter I would omit the salt.
Aw man!! I didn’t realize until reading comments that it was supposed to be 1/2 TABLESPOON of baking soda. I wish you’d change it to 1 1/2 TSP instead, fractions of a T are something you never expect to see in recipes. I hope it’s not too dense anyway! It’s for my husband’s birthday today :)
It’ll taste great even if a bit dense Kaitlin!
Very very moist cake ( loved it) and baked in 55 minutes. Although I loved the cake, I didn’t understand why lemon was added to the frosting…both liquid and zest. For me, the two were competing against one another losing the flavor of the banana cake. I will definitely made this cake every time hands down but add maybe walnuts also. I would replace the lemon zest etc in the frosting and use banana flavoring or the vanilla. It was delicious frosting but maybe on a lemon cake.
Glad you loved the cake Debra!
Best Banana cake I’ve ever eaten. I filled mine with Vanilla Wafers, Banana pudding and real Bananas. It was amazing. Everyone at my work is trying to create a holiday to order one from me :)
I am so glad you loved this recipe Christina!
Hi! Just wondering why we need to put in freezer for 45 mins right after? Is that step crucial?
Sticking your cake in the freezer directly after baking it will help it cool down faster without it continuing to cook while it cools on your countertop.
No one in my family liked this. 3 cups of flour led to a very dense bread-like cake. I definitely measured the flour properly using the spoon and leveling method.
Did you place it in the freezer immediately after baking?
Is there a vegan alteration
I don’t live a vegan lifestyle, so maybe some other readers can help you out Anne!
OMG this is so good! I made it dairy free and gluten free and it turned out wonderful! I subbed the flour for Bobs Red Mill 1to 1, the milk for Almond milk and the butter for Earth Balance. I will definitely make it again!
Thank you so much! I’ve been reading the comments, hoping for a gf baker!
OMG! Best banana cake I have made! Loved it
So glad you loved it Geetha!
The banana cake recipe looks so yummy I will have to try it. Do the bananas have to be very ripe? Thank you.
They should be ripe with some brown spots.
This cake doesn’t have any baking powder?
My cake dropped like a rock don’t know what I did wrong. Sooo I made it into a dump cake. Pudding
and cool whip topping. Taste good !!
I’m sorry this didn’t work for you. I can’t say for sure what went wrong as this recipe has great feedback. Was your milk soured with lemon juice (or vinegar)? A great idea of using the cake Juanita!
Did you put in the baking soda ?
Just made it and it was delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
This is by far the best banana cake I’ve ever had! I made it as directed, but used a thin butter cream frosting. My family LOVED it! It is perfectly sweet and I love the texture. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
You’re welcome Gina, I’m so happy to hear that your family loved it!!
I made this cake and followed the directions exactly. The cake came out beautifully Golden at 70 minutes. It is absolutely delicious!
Personal preference: The icing w/ 3-3.5 cups of powdered sugar is SUPER sweet. I like my cream cheese frosting to have that good twang from the cream cheese. I will reduce to 1.5-2 cups on the next go ‘round.
VERY YUMMY!
So glad you enjoyed it Lindsey!
Great banana cake have made it 3times nice and moist.