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
Yum! I made this tonight and planning to give the other half to my neighbors tomorrow. How do I store this?
I usually store it in the refrigerator, with plastic wrap on top of the baking dish or in an air tight container. Leave it at room temp at least 30 min before serving.
Is it possible to make this out of 8 or 9 inch rounds to make a 2 or three layered cake?
We haven’t tried turning this recipe into a tiered cake so I am not sure how it would hold up. However, if splitting it into smaller pans I would watch it carefully as the cooking time will be reduced. Then just bake it until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let us know how it turns out!
very good!
My daughter has requested a banana cake for her birthday. With quite a few people coming to her party, is it possible to double the recipe? Would it work in a large round cake tin?
If doubling the recipe I recommend doing two separate 9×13 inch baking pans. Enjoy Kerrie!
Everything they said is true! IThis is the perfect banana cake. have looked for and made dozens of banana cake recipes, and this is the best! Super moist and flavorful. Don’t skip the freezer step! This is easy to make and keeps well, too.
Do you have to use lemon juice to sour the milk or can vinegar be used?
You can use white vinegar in place and it will not affect the taste at all. Enjoy Veronica!
I’ve made this cake several times and it’s amazing.
I’m wondering if I could split the batter and bake this in two square 8”x8” cake pans. I am going to a small dinner party and could leave one cake at home for the kids. Would the cooking time need to be adjusted at all!
Many readers have made this cake in smaller pans or as cupcakes. 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. Let us know how it goes!
The best banana cake I have ever made. Had lemons, and all ingredients..and followed the recipe exactly..I have a convection oven, and mine was done in 30 min. Put in freezer, and then frosted it. Sooo good!
This cake is amazing. We don’t touch it the day I make it- we leave it alone until day 2 because it betters with time!!