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
Looking forward to new recioes
I made this cake the other day. It turned out very good. I love it, and my husband likes it even better.
Thanks for the recipe.
Margot
This cake is wonderful. If you follow the directions you should not have any problems. I have made this cake several times and it is my favorite cake recipe. Simple and easy.
I do not think I over mixed, but it’s hard to say because it requires “alternating” the flour and milk. That lends itself to over mixing easily. My cake came out VERY dense – more like a banana brownie. Taste was fair though, but what really saved it all is that the lemon cream cheese frosting is THE BOMB. I will definitely be making that frosting again – and again!
Totally possible Judy, check out the video just above the recipe card to see the consistency we mix ours too! I am glad you loved it still :)
My cake came out like yours Judy! Dense like a gummy kind of brownie. This is the second time I’m making it and followed the recipe to a T. Not sure what’s going on :( but the flavor is great! Paired it with a lavender earl grey gelato and it was still yummy! Just texturally a little disappointing. Could it be cause of my oven?
Have you tested your oven temperature Alyssa? Did you review the troubleshooting tips?
Hi
This is indeed the best one! I
This is my second time making this and my husband loved it ! Thank you so much ! So easy to make and it does not take that long !
We really enjoy it ! Share a piece with several friends and confirmed it is the best recipe
Thank you
Thank you Holly for this great recipe,, the cake was super moist and fluffy. I followed the recipe to the letter ,but I put the cake in the freezer after 15 minutes from taking it out of the oven :)
Hi! If I wanted to bake this in two 9” dark nonstick cake pans, how long should it take? Thank you
Hi Erin, I would check it at 30-35 minutes with a toothpick to see if it is done :)
Thank you so much. I’m making this for my son’s first birthday and I’m so excited!
My mix will not fluffylike frosting
In banana cake recipe
Hi Jessica, this step can take approximately 5 minutes. There is a chance that you did not beat it long enough, but you do want to pay close attention while beating it since overbeating can cause it to not be fluffy as well! Hope that helps.
I’m long time baker but have not baked a cake from scratch for a few years (mostly cookies, pastries, quick breads, etc.) This recipe was spot on. Excellent t crumb, moist and light – not an easy balance. A couple Of slight tweaks: made 18 cupcakes; baked for 25 minutes @ 350 and they came out perfect! Also my boyfriend doesn’t care for cream cheese icing so I ended up making a lemon buttercream. Will be my go-to banana cake. Have to admit I didn’t see the step of turning down oven and then placing in freezer. Will give that a try next time.
Oh my gosh!!! This by far THE BEST BANANA CAKE EVER!!! I have baked A LOT of cakes in my day and this is at the TOP of my recipes now! I followed the cake recipe EXACTLY! I did not have a lemon peel ( just juice), so I modified the frosting by adding 1 Tsp vanilla extract and 1/2 Tsp of Banana Extract. It was AMAZING!!! All I can say is that IF you follow the instructions, you will have the best, very moist, delicious banana cake ever!!! Thank you for sharing! This recipe will be handed down in my family!
It was soft, spongy and delicious, even without the frosting. I cut the proportions in half, it was good for 4 people. This was fun and easy to make for a beginner like me! Finished the bananas too!!
Love this recipe, made it several times. Living in Miami we have ton of mangos. Any thought if this would be a tasty banana substitute?
I have never tried this recipe with mango but it sounds like a delicious substitution! Let us know how it turns out Javi :)
Family favorite cake. The best!!!
Just got done eating 2 pieces. Gasp! This truly is the best banana cake. I followed the cake recipe exactly except the freezer part (I got lazy). Didn’t have any cream cheese so I made a vanilla buttercream frosting instead. Excellent! Will definitely make this again. Something different instead of banana bread all the time. Thanks for sharing!
I have a question. Why do we lower the temperature to 300 degrees when putting the cake in the oven?
Hi Dhivya, this ensures the oven temperature doesn’t drop too low from the heat escaping when you open the door to put the cake in.
After I read the numerous reviews I didn’t have high expectations but I was surprised with the best banana cake ever! It was all I could do not to devour the entire cake myself. It was moist and full of banana flavour. Placing the cake in the freezer is the key. The lemon cream cheese paired perfectly with the banana cake. This recipe is definitely a keeper. THANK YOU!
Do you have the ingredients in weight please?
Hi Chandra, we aren’t able to provide the ingredients for this recipe in weight, but you can try this converter here! I hope that helps :)
Review for The Best Banana Cake..
This truly is the best banana cake I have ever eaten in my 72 years. Thankyou!
I followed the directions and didn’t change a thing. (except it only went in the freezer for 10 min) as we were anxious to try it. Absolutely delicious! so easy to put together… makes a big cake..we didn’t ice it, as it was so good on its own. Between the three of us – it was all gone in two days!
This one is a 10 out of 10 ..big winner!
Thanks for posting it.
Doreen
Thank you Doreen! So happy that you enjoyed it :)
Why put in freezer?
Hi Viola, it helps to make the cake extra moist and delicious! :)
I have to agree!!! This was the best cake. I needed to use some ripe bananas and was tired of making banana bread. Will definitely make again. Thank you!
it’s really good, but the cake is a lot denser than i thought it would be. more like a banana bread than a normal cake texture. the frosting is amazing and so easy
How long did you bake for cupcakes ?
Hi Britt, other readers have turned this recipe into cupcakes and baked them for 20-25 minutes. Use a toothpick inserted in the center to tell if they are fully cooked! Enjoy :)