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
I didn’t use cream cheese frosting; instead I made a rum-flavored (extract) between the layers and frosted it with banana-buttercream frosting made with banana extract. It was magnificent; my mom was quite an accomplished baker, so she taught me a lot.
Oh.my.gosh! That sounds so yummy, Lauren!
After reading others’ comment, and because on my own considerable baking experience, I decided to make a few alterations. GREAT RESULT! I used 1 1/2 Cup of mashed bananas, added 1/2 tsp baking powder, 2 tsp black rum, and 1 cup chopped toasted pecans. Baked it at 325 for about 48 minutes. I used a piece of greased and floured parchment paper on the bottom to prevent it getting too dark. It came out moist, light and perfect. No need to put in freezer! Also IMO doesn’t need frosting, as it is bursting with flavor.
Your version sounds so delicious Sara, thanks for sharing!!
I agree with others that the slow baking at 300 degrees changes the texture to a heavier bread-like cake. I think baking at 350 degrees would make it lighter more cake-like. I also wonder if the butter doesn’t need to be a cup instead of 2/3.
Hi Carol we have only made this recipe as written but would love to hear how it turns out for you with those adjustments!
Made it just as the recipe says. Not sure why it had such a high rating as nothing special. Edges were very crispy as had to leave in the oven for 75 min until baked all through. I did find it a tad too sweet. Does taste more like a cake than a bread. Who doesn’t like cream cheese icing on everything but would not use lemon again but stick to vanilla. Not likely to make it again.
A-mazing!! I actually don’t care for a sheet cake so baked mine in a bundt cake that was greased and floured at 325’ for 55 min. Turned out so moist and delicious. This will be a favorite recipe for sure when the bananas turn! Thank you for sharing.
Followed the recipe exactly and 300 degrees too low. Should be at 350. My cake was dense and didn’t have a light crumb. I bake often and this cake just wasn’t right. The batter was great but once cooked was bland and more like banana bread
Sorry, this recipe didn’t work out well for you Lana. We have had great results with this recipe.
Cake is in the oven now. Smells so good. I have never heard of going from the oven to the freezer. Even though I’m nervous about it I will give it a go.
My cake is in the oven now. I am so excited. I am making this for my granddaughter who went back to school this morning. I personally don’t eat desserts so I always rely on my family to let me know how they enjoyed it. As soon as I told my son and his wife (her dad and mom) what I was doing they both said in unison “yum, can’t wait”. Maybe thats why I always make food for them. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
You’re welcome Rose! Thank you for sharing your kind story! You made my day. And happy back to school!
Does the cake need to be refrigerayef
I usually store it in the refrigerator and try to leave it at room temp at least 30 min before serving. Enjoy Trina!
I recommend tasting frosting before adding lemon zest. I added both lemon juice and zest and it’s to much lemon for me. Unless you’re supposed to taste the lemon?
Hi Yolanda, the icing is supposed to have a lemony flavor. You could reduce or leave the lemon out if you prefer. Or substitute it with vanilla instead.
My cake turned really brown around the edges and then the top. It remained uncooked in the middle. I know I have made it before and loved it…?
Darn, that’s not good Joann. I am not sure exactly what happened. Did you preheat the oven to 350°F and turn it down to 300°F once you put the cake in the oven?
If using a glass baking pan, won’t it break if I put it from the oven to the freezer?
Thank you for asking :). If I use pyrex I let it cool slightly (20 min) before putting it into the freezer.
I don’t have room in my freezer to put a cake let alone anything as I live in a small apartment. Would it have the same effect putting it in the refrigerator
Hi Amy, it should still work well if you put it in the fridge instead of the freezer. Hope you enjoy it!
Best recipe ever. Cake was nice and dense — but not overly so. I did not use lemon juice or zest as I didn’t have a lemon. I used lime juice only and no zest. So many compliments on the frosting. Not your usual overly sweet cream cheese icing that you have to scrape half off, I was told it was the star of the whole cake.
I would love to make this. One question though. I only have buttermilk. Can I substitute?
You can replace the lemon juice and milk with buttermilk. Enjoy Liz!
Can I use frozen overripe bananas?
They should work just fine Jane. Enjoy!
I want to half the recipe and make in an 8×8 pan. How should adjust the baking time?
While I haven’t tried it, I know readers have successfully made this in different pan sizes. I would suggest two 8×8 pans if dividing in half and to start checking the cake around 30 minutes for doneness with a toothpick. They should still go in the freezer out of the oven. Some readers have successfully put this into 2 9″ pans. Let us know how it goes!
Thank you very much for this really great recipe for a beautiful cake! There is something to be said at times for a more than one bowl mix, homemade cake. Mixing & sifting ingredients separately then all together ended up being a perfect cake! I used all ingredients in cake but no frosting for now, it’s been such a hot summer we just want whip cream. WinWin!!
I just pulled this out of the oven and am letting it cool a bit to put it in the freezer. I snuck a piece. It was delicious! Thank you for the recipe. I used a bunch of apple bananas from my parents’ yard and it was perfect. I followed all directions exactly.
AMAZING!!! I added a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg before baking and crushed walnuts and sprinkled on top of icing when finished
Who else remembers Sara Lee’s Frozen Banana Cake from the 90’s??? Was sooo good right out of the freezer! I have tried many recipes over the years and have never been able to duplicate it, UNTIL NOW!!! :) :)
Oh yes, I remember that too! So glad you love this cake Oztin!