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
Holly, this was absolutely delicious!! Used buttermilk as suggested since I had no whole milk. Just wonderful. Sine it makes so much, can it be frozen prior to frosting??Thank you for sharing your recipes.
You absolutely can freeze this before frosting. Enjoy!
Thank you so much Holly for this recipe!!! It’s was a hit!!! Finally, I put it in the freezer, not outside! ;-) Am gonna do it again for sure!
Do I put the cake into the fridge right after I get it out of oven or do I need to let it cool first ?
Hi Yvette, we take this cake straight from the oven to the freezer. If using a glass baking dish you will want to let it cool slightly (20 min or so) before putting it into the freezer.
First off … I screwed up a banana bread years ago and swore off doing anything with bananas again. I found your recipe last week and decided I’d try again one more time. IT IS FABULOUS! So moist and delicious. I omitted the frosting because I didn’t have cream cheese but had canned vanilla. So I whipped that up with the mixer with some added vanilla and cream and it went well with the cake. My husband raved to everyone that came to the house to have a piece! Could I add nuts next time? Can’t wait to try the cream cheese icing next!
Hi Becky, I think nuts would be a delicious addition. I would add about ½-1 cup when I fold in the bananas. If you toss the nuts with a little bit of flour before adding to the batter, they won’t sink the bottom. Enjoy!
Super moist!…my husband said best cake ever . Even better than his moms Chocolate Marshmallow cake.THAT IS A RAVE review!!!!Was worried about placing cake in the freezer…but it works. Thanks❤️
Do you have to remove the cake from the pan you cooked it before putting it in the freezer?!
Thank you!
The cake is not removed from the pan.
Ok, so I have to put the hot pan in the freezer?!
Thank you Holly for the answers… the cake is in the oven right now…
Yes, or if it’s really cold where you live (since it’s winter) you could also put it outside! :)
Excited to try! Is it a 1:1 ratio if we are using buttermilk instead of lemon juice?
Also, was going to make this into a double layer cake in two 9 inch round pans. Any tips?
Thanks!
Yes, a 1:1 ratio is perfect. Enjoy the recipe!
Hi Amber, did the two 9 inch round pans work out? What was the time you used and did you keep the temperature the same? (350 degrees down to 300 degrees?)
Thanks!!
It was perfect. Little too sweet for me, may be the bananas. Highly recommend it
Delicious tried it already. But I want to try to bake it in an electric oven. How many minutes will it take?
Can you please clarify what you mean by electric oven? This should cook in any oven as directed.
Looks delicious!
So delicious! I prefer this greatly to regular banana bread, the texture is amazing and this makes a lot more than a single loaf pan. I usually use extra bananas (about 3 total) and as long as you bake it a bit longer, it turns out great. I also add a bit of cinnamon and nutmeg. One of my go-to recipes :-)
This really is the best banana cake I have ever had…so easy to make
And ready in one hour..I follow the recipe to a T.. have made it twice now and it’s never around long enough to put icing on. Great way to use up overripe bananas. Thank you for delicious, easy recipe.
Thanks you for replying twice, on the butter measurements! I missed your first reply completely!
I used margarine, instead of butter. Any breads, or cakes I bake, that calls for butter? I always use margarine. It was wonderful! No one complained about the cake! LOL! Thanks you Holly!
So glad everyone loved it. Thank you for sharing your tips with the margarine.
The loaves worked out. But, I could’ve put more batter in the loaf pans.
What do you call 2/3 c. butter? Equivalent to 11 Tbsp? About 1 1/2 sticks of butter?
1½ sticks is ¾ cup. You’ll need approximately 1 stick plus an additional 2.67 tablespoons.
Helloooo! Last week I made your banana cake! WOW!! Complete Awesomeness!! Today I made your banana cake recipe again. I decided to put the batter into loaf pans?! Try making bread, with the batter! Have you ever tried this Holly?
Thanks you for sharing your wonderful recipes! God Bless!
Sincerely,
Igloo
I haven’t tried this as loaves, let us know how it works out for you!
I think it turned out pretty darn good! I don’t think I baked it long enough? The inside of the loaf, down at the bottom, not quite done. Bananas were still moist. Also, I mashed up 3 bananas. I do not know Holly, how you measure out 1 1/3 c. bananas? First time in cake pan, I used 3 bananas. 3 mashed bananas measures about 2 cups. I didn’t want to waste the extra bananas in the 2 cups! I dumped it all in! Thanks you!
Igloo
Extra banana can add extra moisture and/or change the cook time slightly. I measure the bananas by mashing and placing them into a measuring cup. If you mash them and have extra, the mashed bananas can be frozen to use in future baking recipes or even in smoothies. I hope that helps.
What does your 2/3 c butter equal out to be? 1 1/2 sticks? Have your tried margarine, in place of butter? Thanks you!
1½ sticks is ¾ cup. You’ll need approximately 1 stick plus an additional 2.67 tablespoons. I have not tried this with margarine.
I didn’t like this recipe. Although the cake has good flavor it’s a heavy cake. I prefer light and fluffy cakes.
If you over mix it will still taste fine but will be heavy and sticky and won’t rise much. (I did this first time) These things helped me.
•Dairy products and eggs must be at room temp.
•Beat butter for one min, add sugars, beat for 2 mins, then add eggs and vanilla and beat for 5 mins till fluffy.
•When adding the milk and flour mix until it’s just combined.
•Fold in the bananas gently.
•Bake immediately, don’t let it sit out of the oven or it won’t rise.
Hope this all helps, I’ve made the cake countless times and it’s delicious
It’s in the oven now. HELP It says put directly in freezer. It’s a glass baking dish won’t it immediately CRACK? I see no mention of this. :(
Thank you for asking :). If I use pyrex I let it cool slightly (20 min) before putting it into the freezer.
Margo, my cake was in a ceramic dish. I placed the dish on a aluminum cake pan lid. It was just fine. No cracking. I bet a cookie sheet would be fine as well.?
I just made this cake and fell in love! It seemed odd to have the lemon, and the low baking temp, but I would not change a thing!!! Everyone commented on how perfect the texture is and the flavor… I made 2 8” round layers and this case rose beautifully!
I made this cake a few wks. ago & everyone loved it! I am going to make it for Thanksgiving! Can I make ahead & just leave it in the fridge? Or what do u suggest!!
I usually store it in the fridge and try to leave it at room temp at least 30 min before serving. Enjoy Anita!
I used this recipe first time today and the cake is fantastic ,although I have to say that by mistake I added1/2 tsp baking powder and I substituted milk with buttermilk
i plan on making this for thanksgiving. do you think this recipe would be better with cake flour?
I have never tried this with cake flour, I use all purpose flour in this recipe.
Can I use a bundt pan as an alternate?
I haven’t tried this in a bundt pan, let us know how it goes if you try it.