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
no ingredient list.
too much yaddy yadda
The yadda yadda is to help those that have questions about the ingredients/recipe and need extra help. If you don’t need it, click the jump to recipe button at the top or scroll above this comment box to find the ingredients.
I freeze my overripe bananas and regularly make a delicious banana bread from them. I inclined to draw from this frozen stash of mine to make your banana cake. what do you think? Have you ever done that, or have you ever recieved comments about using frozen overripe bananas?
Hi Marta, you can use frozen bananas for this recipe. Depending on their size you will need 3-4 frozen bananas
2nd review. I tried to turn this into a 2 layer cake & it was unsuccessful. The crumb was far too moist. it looks a mess but it’s Soooo tasty.
Oh no! I am sorry to hear it didn’t work for you. But I am glad you enjoyed the cake still.
Absolutely Delicious!!!! 5☆
could I make this into a triple layer cake? does it hold together enough to be layered and decorated?
While I haven’t tried this as a layer cake, many readers have successfully used this recipe to prepare a layer cake. Let us know how it goes!
Delicious
I am making this cake now and very excited it smells delicious. quick question i do not have freezer room for the cake will it still turn out good if I let it cool at room temperature?
Yes, it can cool at room temperature. It will still be delicious!
Hello, what was storage for this recipe?
I usually store it in the refrigerator and try to leave it at room temp at least 30 min before serving. Enjoy!
I have made this cake several times and we absolutely love it! My daughter is turning 40 in two weeks and has asked for the cake but she has now developed certain allergies and cannot eat sugar or all purpose flour. She can have honey and oat flour. I will have to grind down the rolled outs into flour but can you please help me by letting me know if I would still use 3 cups of flour and how much honey would be required to replace all the sugar. I know that oat flour will not rise so do I increase any of the baking powder or soda? I would greatly appreciate it if you could please help me. Thank you! Peter
Happy Birthday to your daughter. I have never tried this recipe with those ingredients so I can’t say for sure if it would work. I would recommend a test batch beforehand.
Amazing!
What an amazing cake! Such an easy recipe that yields such moist and delicious cake. I live in the Caribbean so I have access to local bananas and this is the first recipe that allows their awesome flavor to shine!
Looking forward to icing the cake tomorrow before my casual “event”. I’m sure this will be delicious based on the reviews and the wonderful ingredients (icing should be incredible). However, I somehow missed the section about turning the oven to 300 F once the pan went in and then proceeded to cook the cake for 60 minutes. Could this be highlighted at the beginning of the instructions? I do read the write-ups leading to recipes, but I don’t believe you mention this in the preamble. Cake has a lovely colour and odour. It hasn’t burned, probably because I used a parchment paper lining on the bottom. Used vanilla pods because I had them, as a substitute for the liquid option.
Oh no! I am glad it still turned out well for you Hannah! We will take a look at the recipe!
Love this cake It is moist and flavorful
super delicious
This is my go-to banana cake recipe! It is amazingly delicious and always gets rave reviews! I make it often! Thank you!
Oh my goodness trying the in Wellington New Zealand, in 2024 and our minds are blown. Best banana cake ever ….literally!!!
Hi, I love bananna cake was wondering is that packed brown sugar? Thank you
Yes, it is packed.
Hello! I don’t suppose it would work to substitute the butter for oil, since oil wouldn’t cream nicely with the sugars, but would margarine work?
Hi Maggie, I have only made the recipe as listed but readers have used oil and margarine with great results. I would love to hear how it turns out for you!
Such a shame you only have the recipe in cups. I know if I did this without using a scale it would come out wrong. I doubt I would fill a cup the same way you would and probably use too much flour or something. Oh well the photo looks so perfect but I don’t want to waste ingredients.
Hi Amy, we have this “How to Measure Flour” guide that can help you have consistent results. I hope that helps!
Wow this recepei is so simple and soooo Good! This is my first time baking, I love to cook but my backing skills are the worst! lol It turned out Amazing and Delicious! Everyone loved it!!!!!
Can I make this ahead of time and freeze the cake? How long will it stay good if I freeze it?
Definitely! This cake will last for up to 3 months in the freezer.
I am trying this now . Considering baking again for a later date. If you freeze this cake – to thaw it out would you just let it set out in the kitchen or put in fridge to thaw. I wouldn’t want it to get soggy.
Thanks
Elaine
You could do either and then frost and serve!
can I use salted butter instead of unsalted?
Sure you can. Omit the salt from the recipe.