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
would this recipe hold up to fondant covering?
I have not tried it with fondant, let us know how it turns out it you decide to try it.
Hi Holly, I followed the recipe exactly and it came out flat and sponge. Not light and fluffy at all. Why would that be??
I can’t say for sure why it came out flat. Did you use the full amount of lemon juice added to the milk?
Can I check if your temperature is Fahrenheit or degrees Celsius?
Thanks!
The temperature is in Fahrenheit.
Ok I have been mixing the egg mixture for 15 minutes now and it is nowhere close to fluffy. Am I supposed to add one egg then fluff, then repeat?
I can’t say for sure why your egg mixture wasn’t fluffy after that amount of time. Were your eggs and butter at room temperature?
I am a pretty good baker. I made this yesterday and followed directions to an absolute
T…and although it tasted good, it looks NOTHING like the photo. It is a good banana bread, but the crumb is FAR from the light airy photo…Someone needs to fess up!
The cake in the photo is actually the cake made in the video… which is the exact recipe you see. Nothing to ‘fess. :)
Holly do you use real butter or margarine
Always real butter!
I just made the cake and it’s very fluffy and moist. I usually make more of a banana bread with no icing or glaze but this is soooo delish! The lemon adds so much freshness..I added a little extra lemon. Thanks for the recipe. It will be a great Easter dessert. :)
Made the banana cake was a little heavy, used truvia instead of white sugar could that have been my problem. Also took a short cut and used BC canned frosting awful next time I will make the frosting recipe.
The flour is all-purpose and the butter is unsalted?
Yes it is Liza.
Just made it after seeing it on Facebook. Wish I could attach a picture.
I hope you loved the cake Aimee!
cant wait to try this this weekend thanks for posting
I have make a banana cake in 2 round pans cut both cakes horizontally you will have 4 layers get a tub of whip cream, cup of cut strawberries and cup of pineapple(totally drained if canned) , choc syrup, peanuts.
on bottom layer put half of whip cream and one of the fruits put second layer on drizzle with choc syrup and peanuts repeat the other layers with friut whipped cream drizzle top layer with choc syrup and peanuts. This is a banana split cake i found this recipe in a magazine years ago
I would like to make this banana cake. Do you use Ripe bananas, or Overripe bananas?
What do you mean the Website?
Over ripe bananas.
Look good. Thanks for the recipe !!
I’m baking it now, can hardly wait.
Does this have to go in the refrigerator or can it stay on the counter.
You can store it tightly covered in the refrigerator or on the counter. If you refrigerate it, I would suggest you remove it from the fridge at least an hour before serving.
Just made it. Excellent recipe. I used the lemon juice/milk method. Saves on buying an extra item and the cake doesnt taste lemony. I used 5 very very ripe (almost black) medium sized bananas. Didnt use lemon juice on the bananas, but I smashed within 10 minutes of folding into the batter. I used convection, so reduced heat to 275 deg and was done in 55 minutes. I also reduced the frosting by 1/3 since a few people mentioned that there was alot extra frosting left over.
The cake was moist an had great banana flavor. Frosting was great too.
I made this today and it did not disappoint! Thanks for the recipe. I got to use my new KittenAid mixer and finally see what all the fuss is about. It did not disappoint either!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I loved it. It came out nice and moist. Can’t wait to try the rest of the recipes.
Thank you
Thank you! Happy to hear that you loved it!
I tried your recipe in a bundt pan, and it worked beautifully! Making it again this week! Thank you for sharing
Thank you for making this sweet dessert, Stephanie! Let us know if you try our other recipes.