This is the best banana cake recipe ever! It’s easy to make (no mixer required), moist, loaded with bananas and topped with a delicious cream cheese frosting.
Banana cake is a dessert that is completely nostalgic for me. I grew up eating the Sara Lee version, and nothing else compared to that dense yet fluffy cake paired with a thick cream cheese frosting.
Well, I decided it was time to create a homemade banana cake recipe to make all my (and hopefully your) childhood dreams come true, and this is seriously the BEST banana cake EVER!
This banana cake recipe is easy to make with simple ingredients and is out-of-this-world delicious!. It has no buttermilk (because I never have it on hand, if I’m being honest) and doesn’t a require a mixer!
How to make Banana Cake
Let’s walk through how to make this easy banana cake step-by-step to ensure your success! Don’t forget to watch the video too!
Combine wet ingredients
Begin by mashing the bananas in a large bowl. Next, add melted butter and vanilla and stir until combined. Add sugar and stir until dissolved.
Add eggs, sour cream, and beaten eggs and stir until combined. Make sure these ingredients are at room temperature for the best results!
Add dry ingredients:
In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, sea salt and cinnamon. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until the mixture is homogenous (uniform throughout) and there are no lumps (other than the mashed banana)!
Bake
Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and the top is golden brown and the edges are set.
Cool.
Remove the baked cake from the oven and set it on a wire rack to cool completely. While it’s cooling, make the cream cheese frosting!
Make the cream cheese frosting
I personally think one of the best parts of banana cake is the cream cheese frosting! It’s a mixture of butter and cream cheese (and other ingredients, of course) that forms a thick and delicious layer on the top of the banana cake!
To make it: Beat together butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add vanilla and 2 cups of powdered sugar and beat (starting on low speed and increasing to medium-high) until smooth. Add up to ½ cup more powdered sugar until you reach a spreadable, but thick consistency.
Putting it together
When the cake is cooled, spread frosting evenly over the top. If desired, top with crushed pecans or walnuts! You could also pipe a design on the top, but for the sake of time I chose to just slather that cream cheese frosting right on top!
Chill & Serve!
Chill for at least 3 hours, or overnight. I find the chilling time really gives the cake a chance for the flavors to deepen and the banana cake to taste its absolute best! Serve the banana cake cold or at room temperature.
How to store banana cake
Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The best banana cake can also be wrapped in plastic wrap or placed in an airtight container and frozen for up to 2 months! To enjoy, simply let the cake thaw in the refrigerator, or at room temperature!
FAQs about Banana Cake
Here are some commonly asked questions about this easy banana cake with cream cheese frosting!
What is the difference between banana bread and banana cake?
Banana cake and banana bread are very similar, but there are some key differences! First, banana cake is fluffier and less-dense than banana bread because of the high amount of liquid/wet ingredients. This banana cake recipe also makes a larger cake with more portions, and it’s topped with frosting, which our banana bread recipe is not!
Do you need to refrigerate banana cake?
Yes. Because of the cream cheese frosting this best banana cake recipe needs to be refrigerated. I also just believe it taste the best when served slightly cold!
Banana Cake: Ingredients and Substitutions
As always, let’s chat about the ingredients in this easy banana cake recipe.
- All-purpose flour. Cake flour can be used in place of all-purpose flour for a slightly lighter texture. Bread flour and pastry flour also work well!
- Salted butter. Unsalted butter works perfectly in this banana cake recipe. You just may need to increase the amount of sea salt. You can also substitute up to half of the butter with canola oil or applesauce with great results!
- Granulated sugar. I found that granulated sugar yielded the lightest, fluffiest cake. You can replace up to 1/2 cup of the white sugar with brown sugar for a little bit of a richer flavor!
- Sour Cream. Greek yogurt can be used in place of sour cream with great results!
- Whole Milk. 2% milk can be used in place of whole milk, but I would avoid skim and fat-free milk, because the fat is necessary for the best texture.
- NOTE: you can substitute both the sour cream and whole milk with 1 1/2 cups of buttermilk. I just never have it on hand so I chose to create a recipe without relying on it!
More banana recipes
We loveee baking with bananas around here! Here are some of our favorite recipes:
- The best banana bread ever, and chocolate chip banana bread!
- For a healthier version, try this paleo banana bread!
- Spinach banana muffins are a breakfast staple around here!
- My favorite peanut butter breakfast bars and peanut butter baked oatmeal are both baked with bananas!
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Best Easy Banana Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 bananas mashed (about 1 ½ cups)
- ½ cup salted butter melted
- 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cup whole milk room temperature
- ¼ cup sour cream room temperature
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp sea salt
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 oz cream cheese room temperature
- ½ cup butter softened
- 2 ¼ to 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
- ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
- Grease a 9x13” pan, set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, sea salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mash bananas.
- Add melted butter and vanilla and stir until combined.
- Add sugar and stir until dissolved.
- Add eggs and sour cream and stir until combined.
- Add milk and gently mix until combined.
- Add dry ingredients and stir until the mixture is homogenous (uniform throughout) and there are no lumps.
- Pour batter into prepared pan.
- Bake in preheated oven for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool to room temperature.
Make the frosting:
- While the cake is baking, make the cream cheese frosting.
- Beat together butter and cream cheese until smooth.
- Add vanilla and 2 cups of powdered sugar and beat (starting on low speed and increasing to medium-high) until smooth.
- Add up to ½ cup more powdered sugar until you reach a spreadable, but thick consistency.
Putting it together:
- When the cake is cooled, spread frosting evenly over the top.
- Chill for at least 3 hours, or overnight. Then serve cold or at room temperature.
Video
Notes
Banana Cake: Ingredient Substitutions
As always, let's chat about the ingredients in this easy banana cake recipe.- All-purpose flour. Cake flour can be used in place of all-purpose flour for a slightly lighter texture. Bread flour and pastry flour also work well!
- Salted butter. Unsalted butter works perfectly in this banana cake recipe. You just may need to increase the amount of sea salt. You can also substitute up to half of the butter with canola oil or applesauce with great results!
- Granulated sugar. I found that granulated sugar yielded the lightest, fluffiest cake. You can replace up to 1/2 cup of the white sugar with brown sugar for a little bit of a richer flavor!
- Sour Cream. Greek yogurt can be used in place of sour cream with great results!
- Whole Milk. 2% milk can be used in place of whole milk, but I would avoid skim and fat-free milk, because the fat is necessary for the best texture.
- NOTE: you can substitute both the sour cream and whole milk with 1 1/2 cups of buttermilk. I just never have it on hand so I chose to create a recipe without relying on it!
Nutrition
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Sherry Ellis
Hi Laura. We have a standard banana chocolate chip muffin recipe that we have always used. I. Just made the banana cake because I had three bananas instead of two leftover. It was absolutely delicious! I think we have a new favorite banana recipe for our family. Thank you!
Sherry Ellis
Laura
I’m so glad you loved it Sheri! Banana cake is my favorite! 🙂
Yanitza
Thank you so much for an amazing recipe! I’ve tried so many recipes in the past for banana cake and yours is absolutely the best! The cake is moist, lots of banana flavor and super easy to make ) no mixer required),
Laura
Thank you Yanitza! We love this recipe too! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Renee VanderWal
My daughter loves to bake (so do I) and she made your Best Banana Cake and it was sooooo good! We shared it with neighbors and they had to have the recipe too! It’s going to be a family favorite for sure!