Best Banana Cake
This is truly the Best Banana Cake Recipe ever! It’s soft, sweet with the perfect amount of banana and it’s topped with creamy frosting!
I have been holding out on you. You see, this banana cake. Oh this cake. It’s been on my list to share for some time now, but I always seem to get side-tracked!
So today I end the hold-out and talk cake…specifically this EPICALLY DELICIOUS BEST BANANA CAKE.
MY OTHER RECIPESDudes, it’s so great I can’t even tell you. Like so great you should probably go ahead and make it now. Plus, bananas + cream cheese = breakfast material folks. Sprinkle a few chia seeds on top and you’re basically drinking a smoothie.
Also, you may think that you don’t need a WHOLE cake sitting on your counter on a random weekday. I’m here to debunk that negativity.
You do need cake. Cake needs you. It’s a relationship that’s bound to happen, so don’t fight it. You can diet when the cake is gone. Trust me, that’s my life’s motto.
How to Ripen Bananas Quickly
- You’re going to start with mashed bananas. Obviously. Using very ripe bananas will produce the best results. If you have a day or so put your bananas in a brown paper bag. The ethylene will build up and circulate within the bag, speeding up the ripening process.
- If you want to make this cake asap, or any banana recipe for that matter, and you don’t have time to wait for bananas to ripen I’ve got a quick trick! Poke holes in the banana peel with a fork on all sides pretty liberally. Then microwave the banana for 30 seconds to 1 minute unless it’s dark and kind of mushy. It isn’t ideal, but it’s definitely worth doing in a pinch!
- OR you can do this same technique in the oven! Preheat your oven to 300°F. Place your (unpricked) bananas on a parchment lined baking sheet for 30 minutes, but check them at 15 minutes to see how things are going. Bake them until they start to brown and get soft!
How to Bake the BEST Banana Cake
- The batter for this banana cake recipe is really easy. You can bake the banana cake in 3, 8- inch round pans or 2, 9- inch round pans! I prefer 3 layers…because more frosting.
- Also make sure to coat your pans with nonstick spray, and also line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper rounds, that are cut to fit the pan. I find that for this banana cake recipe, and honestly all cake recipes, this method works best for perfect removal.
- This banana cake recipe calls for a mixture of bth granulated and brown sugar. The added brown sugar adds moisture and depth of flavor, which pairs beautifully with the banana!
Frosting your Banana Cake
I really feel like cream cheese frosting is the right choice on this Banana Cake, BUT if you aren’t a fan of cream cheese here are a few other options that would be fantastic on this cake:
- My Perfect Buttercream recipe is the BEST Buttercream frosting! It’s a buttery, vanilla buttercream that’s delicious on anything!
- My Creamy Chocolate Frosting is OH so delicious, and chocolate and banana are a match made in heaven!
- Something a little different, but ridiculously delicious, is my Heritage Frosting recipe. It’s a cooked flour frosting that my mom used to use on her Red Velvet Cake. It’s buttery and creamy!
How to Toast Coconut
I LOVE the addition of toasted coconut on my Best Banana Cake recipe. You absolutely don’t have to add the coconut, but it’s not only a pretty garnish, but it pairs beautifully with the banana cake and cream cheese frosting. You can even buy toasted coconut flakes nowadays, but it’s easy to make yourself!
- In a medium skillet add your sweetened flaked coconut and heat it to medium-low. Stir the coconut flakes frequently because as it heats up it will begin to brown. This will happen quickly once it’s warm, so watch it carefully and stir often so it doesn’t burn. Once it’s toasted, remove it from the warm pan so it doesn’t continue to cook. That’s it!
- If you would prefer to toast your coconut in an oven, that’s easy as well! Preheat your oven to 325°F. Spread the coconut flakes on a baking sheet in a thin, even layer and bake for 5-10 minutes. It won’t take long!
Once your coconut is toasted, just press it on the bottom of the cake, so it looks pretty. You could put as much or as little as you would like!
Again, if you really don’t like coconut you could use toasted walnuts or pecans instead. Mini chocolate chips is another fun alternative to the coconut. Or of course you could choose to leave it plain…totally up to you!
Then really, get down to it and slice that beauty.
I seriously can’t even take how perfect this cake is. It’s the BEST Banana Cake because it’s so moist and packed with flavor!
And dig in! You guys are going to love my BEST Banana Cake recipe so much!
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The Best Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3/4 cup butter, room temp
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 3 cups flour
- 3 ripe medium bananas mashed, approximately 1 1/2 cups
Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature (I used Challenge Cream Cheese)
- 1 cup butter, room temperature
- 6 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1–2 tablespoons milk
- optional – 3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F
- Coat 3, 8-inch round cake pans or 2 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray. Cut parchment paper into rounds to fit into the bottoms of the pans. Place the parchment into each pan and coat again with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl combine the milk and lemon juice. Stir and set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the butter and both sugars on medium speed for 2 minutes.
- Add in the eggs, vanilla, salt and baking soda and mix until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Turn the mixer to low and add in the flour and milk in alternating additions, beginning and ending with flour, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Finally mix in the bananas until just incorporated.
- Divide the batter evenly among the pans and bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, rotating the pans in the oven half-way through baking.
- Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 15-20 minutes and then remove from the pans and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
Frosting
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment mix the butter and cream cheese together for 2 minutes until creamy. Turn mixer to low and add in the powdered sugar.
- Finally add in the vanilla and 1 tablespoon of milk.
- Turn the mixer up to medium and mix until creamy, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- If desired add in the remaining tablespoon of milk and mix until combined.
- Frost cake.
- If desired place the coconut in a nonstick skillet. Heat over medium-low, stirring frequently. The coconut will begin to turn golden brown. Watch closely, as the coconut will burn quickly.
- Remove the pan from the heat and allow the coconut to cool completely.
- Garnish cake with the toasted coconut.
Notes
Store airtight refrigerated for up to 3 days. Allow the cake to come up to room temperature before serving.
Keywords: cake, recipe, banana cake, banana recipe, cream cheese, cream cheese frosting
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This looks amazing!!
I’d eat that whole cake…and the frosting looks great!
What kind of flour did you use? All purpose flour or cake flour?
all purpose!
Can this be baked in a 9×13 pan?
Oh, Shelly! Growing up my Mama would always make me a banana cake for my birthday. My siblings would have the tradition vanilla or chocolate cake, but mama never needed to ask what kinda cake I wanted, she knew. This brings back so many memories of being a kid, can’t wait to make. Thank you for sharing!! : )
Can I make this in a 9 x 13 pan?
Yes, certainly, but your bake time will be different. I would start with 30 minutes in the oven and add on time as needed.
I know it sounds strange, but my all time FAVORITE banana cake has a tangy lemon butercream! I bet it would be AMAZING wit this cake!
That sounds great, actually!
I made this last night and it is absolutely delicious! I used your buttercream recipe to frost it, which is also very good. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
oh awesome!! I am so glad you liked it… it really is one of my favorites!
Haha yes, this is totally breakfast material! Love the addition of toasted coconut as a decoration too, sounds delish 🙂
This cake looks delicious. could this be done in cupcake pans?
I made this cake the other night although I added a cup of chopped pecans to the batter and then put toasted coconut and pecans on top and the sides of the cake”. My grown daughter, grandkids and husband and I absolutely love it!!! It’s tastes really terrific after refrigerating it. It truly is the best Banana cake ever. Thanks for the recipe..
So glad you loved it!!
I made this yesterday and it was absolutely delicious. I can’t tell you how many compliments I got. It’s nice to have a quirky cake recipe like this (you can only do chocolate so many times) and the banana and cream cheese go together perfectly. Normally I’m averse to fruit in my desserts, and well banana cake seems a little old fashioned. So glad I took a chance! I’m saving this recipe in my arsenal for a potluck when I really want to blow away the competition. You’re a genius Shelly.
I am a sucker for old fashioned desserts 🙂 SO glad you liked it!!!
this cake is some kinda good!!! I got 1 piece and the grand kids finished it before I could get another.
Can whole wheat flour be used in this recipe. Mom has to keep away from white and I don’t know if whole wheat would make it too dense.
I wouldn’t sub it out for whole wheat entirely… the taste and texture would be changed. I might sub half wheat flour. King Arthur Flour makes a white whole wheat flour that works great too!
Made this cake today for my birthday, and did not look like the picture. Followed the directions exactly. What went wrong?
★★
How did it look? ANd more importantly how did it taste?
Wow, I cooked this Banana Cake, and it is the very best. Sooooo yummy. I love these recipes. Thank you
★★★★★
My favorite part of this is where it says it serves 10… Maybe take away that zero and it would be about right. It looks amazing, I will have to try it.
Made this yesterday – it was a huge hit!
Awesome!! So glad you liked it!
This is the BEST banana cake I have ever made. So moist. I made if for my dad for Father’s Day and it was a HUGH hit. I wish I could post a pic.. I topped mine with whole pecans.
Oh I bet that was delicious!!
I would love to bake this for an upcoming birthday party. My son has an egg allergy. What would you suggest I use as an egg substitute for this recipe?
use 1/4 cup applesauce for every egg 🙂
I made this cake tonight and was disappointed that it tasted like a fluffy banana bread rather than a cake. With the title and description suggesting it was the best banana cake ever, I am dumbfounded why this doesn’t taste at all like cake.
Five star banana bread recipe. Two star cake recipe.
★★★★★
I just made it, it came out great. The only modification, but a big one – I used 3 cups of sugar for frosting and it’s super sweet already, can’t imagine how it would taste with 6 cups. Thanks for a great recipe!
Just found your site
and made this cake twice ALREADY and getting ready to make it again! A new family favorite!
Love hearing this!!
I made this for the first time yesterday and it’s delicious; so light and moist. My friend couldn’t praise it enough.
I made this cake yesterday as practice and used foil pans. Big mistake! Not sure if I mash my bananas too much but the entire center did not cook and stuck. Still tasted delicious! Working on it again today used real pans with parchment paper and greased and floured the pans. I added a mashed banana to the icing a little runny and not stiff, thinking I need to add more powdered sugar maybe ?
Can I skip brown sugar
You could replace it with granulated if that’s what you mean?
Really is the best banana cake. Easy recipe to follow, made this for my toddler with only 1 cup of brown sugar.no granulated sugar. Tasted excellent ??
So glad you liked it!!!
I made this for Thanksgiving. My cake was the topic as soon as it was served, people said it was the best banana cake they had ever tasted. I felt bad for my other friends who brought a desert that no one mentioned.
Awesome! Awesome! And it was pretty easy to make. Thanks so much
Love hearing this!!
Would you store this cake in the fridge?
Yes, however it’s best when served at room temperature!
Hi, this looks amazing! Did you see regular or cake flour for the recipe?
Thanks!
Julia
all purpose flour 🙂
Hi, meant to say “use” in the previous comment. Thanks, Julia
I made this cake over the weekend for my mom’s birthday, and everyone loved it. Everyone. And that is rare for my family to all agree on one dessert!
Thank you!
(I used store bought whipped icing because half of my family does not like cream cheese frosting….)
I made this cake and it was a big hit! And I will make it again. I forgot believers I used buttermilk instead of milk. A winner!
Do I use self raising flour or plain flour?
regular, all purpose flour!
cupcakes? Do you think this recipe is do able for cupcakes? How long to bake? thanks
Hi! Why can’t i use just 1 pan for the whole batter? Can i just use 1 then just cut into 3? Thanks!
sure!
Is this flour in the recipe self rising or all purpose?
all purpose 🙂
is it okay to skip the lemon juice
Hi. Can the milk be substituted with sour cream instead? & if so, how much?
No, but you could sub in yogurt!
i made this cake for a family special occasion. looked just like the pictures.
this cake was waaay to sweet.
i really want to try this out. im just double checking this recipe does not require baking powder?? no baking powder? and the flour is it all purpose or self raising? cant wait to try it out. hope to hear from you soon.
all purpose flour 🙂 And just baking soda in this one 🙂
Can you sub the milk for a non-dairy milk
sure!
Is this frosting thick enough to be able to pipe and hold it shape?
Hi! It will hold its shape, but it isn’t a stiff frosting.
My husband gave this cake an A! Excellent texture, moisture, and sweetness.
★★★★★
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This cake recipe (for the layers) is one I come back to time and again. People ask me for this recipe ALL the time and then they come back to me and say when they make it, everyone asks them for the recipe. That is how good this cake is! Thank you! Fantastic cake layer recipe!
Love hearing this so much!!!
Unsalted or salted butter please?
★★★★★
I use salted, but certainly you can use what you prefer!
I have made this cake a few times now and it’s amazing. I don’t follow the icing recipe exactly (I use less icing sugar) but I have had glowing responses from the people to whom I’ve served it. I overheard one of my dinner guests whisper to someone else how excellent the cake was. Thanks for posting it1