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
Excellent except wouldn’t use lemon in frosting. Prefer vanilla.
Baked for 50 minutes with thermometer in oven reading 300 degeees.
Crust is too dry.
Flavor is good.
Did you place the cake into the freezer once it was removed from the oven? That’s the key to this cake. :)
I just made the banana cake and it is awesome. My husband couldn’t stop eating the cake. Thank you for this great recipe.
Loved this recipe. But only used a quarter of the icing. Thank you
I was getting tired of making banana bread so I found this cake. It is delicious.
Making this banana cake today. Is it ok to use glass instead of a metal pan? If so, will it be less or more time with the gladd or the same in the oven?
Yes, glass works fine in this recipe. The cook time will remain the same.
This IS the best banana cake. I took it out of the oven and uh, hum, that was my dinner! (Not the whole thing. I restrained myself). Couldn’t wait for it to cool. I used butter cream frosting from the fridge. Recipe printed and ready for my next overripe bananas. Or maybe I will try your banana pecan crunch muffins…Thanks!
So glad to hear that you loved this recipe Joyce! You’re welcome!
I made this cake last night after reading a number of the reviews and i am disappointed. To me, the cake was just so-so, nothing to write home about. One thing I would like to mention, and this would be for the newbe bakers, if you are going to use a GLASS 9×11″ baking pan, I don’t think you should put it directly into the freezer as you might end up with glass all over the freeze and whatever you have frozen.
I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy this recipe, it’s one of our all time favorites.
Made this cake today and it is a winner! I usually make chocolate chip banana bread with my brown bananas. So glad I made this cake instead. If you are debating whether to make the lemon frosting, do it! I used lemon and lemon zest and it was subtle but delicious. The frosting is very sweet but a great balance to the banana cake. The only thing different I did was I substituted the cream cheese for 1/3 less fat version…no difference. So glad I made this! It’s delicious!!
I’m so glad you loved it Sasha!
this was very easy to make and came out beautifully!!!!
I work in a coffee shop where all the food is homemade. We had an abundance of bananas getting too ripe so the owner checked Pinterest for a recipe. WOW! This cake is The Best Banana Cake. Just as the title says. Moist and flavorful. And the touch of lemon is very good. I wouldn’t think lemon would go with banana, but it certainly does.
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I made this cake today. I followed the recipe exactly as given. The only thing I did is after 55 minutes I covered with foil and baked for 10 more minutes. It turned out perfect. Awesome recipe. Thank you.
baked it last night following the exact recipes and it taste sooooo good. i sooooo love it! thanks for sharing
Great flavor but dense and chewy…guess I over mixed maybe.
I made this last night. Followed instruction precisely. Frosted and placed the cake in fridge over night. Next morning, tried the first piece and WOW!! I am very happy with this recipe. Moist and Delicious. Took to work this morning to share and everybody LOVED it. Thank you for sharing!
That made my day Heidi! Thank you
Delicious the best banana cake I have ever tasted. My family is always asking for me to make it.
My family too Sue. Happy to hear that!
The cake looks really nice. Mine took about 50 minutes to bake. Something went wrong with my frosting though. I think I mixed it too long that it just got too thin, so now I am using it as a drizzle… :)
This was a great recipe but you have to follow the instructions carefully. Thank You so much, the cake smells HEAVENLY!!!
Enjoy!! Did you use regular cream cheese? (Light cream cheese can be a bit runny).
I am in the process of making this cake the 4th time in one month. Everyone who taste it wants one. What would a cake like this sale for?
Hi Essie,
I am glad that you are enjoying the recipe. I wish I could help you on pricing the cake!
We tried this recipe with my 9 year old son and he made it by himself! The cake turned out amazing 10+
So glad it turned out for him!
My husband said this was the best cake he had ever eaten!
I am so glad that your husband loves the cake!