Best Ever Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

February 24, 2023

Get ready to dig into your new favorite Banana Cake recipe with this incredibly moist and flavorful banana cake, covered in pillowy soft and silky smooth cream cheese frosting!

Banana Cake

What is it about a simple banana cake with cream cheese frosting that ALWAYS sounds good! Is it just me? I could eat it any day, any time of day! In fact, I had a slice with breakfast this morning!

The moist and flavorful cake, paired with a simple cream cheese frosting is comfort food at its finest.

Ingredients You Need for This Banana Cake Recipe from Scratch
  • All-purpose flour
  • Baking powder
  • Baking soda
  • Salt
  • Unsalted butter
  • Vegetable oil
  • Granulated sugar
  • Light brown sugar
  • Eggs
  • Buttermilk
  • Vanilla extract
  • Over-ripe bananas, about 3 medium

Tips for Making Moist Cake From Scratch

  • Start with room temperature ingredients – the eggs, butter, and buttermilk should all be room temperature before you start making the cake batter. These ingredients better blend together and are better absorbed by the dry ingredients, which helps your cake to rise well and stay moist.
  • When mixing the butter, sugar, and eggs, beat the mixture on medium-high to high speed until light and fluffy, almost the consistency of a fluffy buttercream frosting.  This should take about 3 to 5 minutes.
  • Once you start adding the dry ingredients with the buttermilk, turn the mixer to low and mix until just combined.  Over-mixing will cause the cake to be dense and sink.
  • Watch the cooking time. Remember, all our ovens are different. My time is a guide, so check your cake toward the end of the bake time I’ve given. The cake is done when you insert a toothpick in the center and it comes out with just a few moist crumbs on it.

Cream Cheese Frosting

I can’t think of anything more traditional and delicious on a banana cake than cream cheese frosting. While it’s not my favorite type of frosting to use on layered cakes (it’s a lot softer than traditional buttercream), it’s absolutely perfect for a sheet cake recipe like this. Just slather it on once the cake has cooled completely and you’re set to go.

Ingredients You Need for This Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
  • Unsalted butter
  • Cream cheese
  • Powdered sugar
  • Vanilla extract
  • Heavy whipping cream
  • Salt

I’m so excited for you to dig in to this simple and easy banana cake recipe with cream cheese frosting. I think you’ll agree, it’s truly the best ever banana cake!

Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

4.80 from 25 votes
Moist and flavorful banana cake with cream cheese frosting.

Ingredients
  

For the Cake

  • 3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon (3 g) baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon (3 g) baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon (4.2 g )salt
  • 3/4 cup (169.5 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons (20 g) vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup (66 g) light brown sugar, packed
  • 3 eggs, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cup (360 g) buttermilk, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons (6.3 g) pure vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 cup (300 g) mashed over-ripe bananas, 3 medium-sized

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

  • 1 1/2 cups (339 g) unsalted butter, slightly cold
  • 6 ounces (170g) cream cheese, cold
  • 6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
  • 3 tablespoons (45 g) heavy whipping cream
  • 1 teaspoon. (4.2 g) vanilla extract
  • pinch of salt

Instructions
 

For the Cake

  • Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch x 13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray, line the bottoms with parchment paper, and spray again. Set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  • In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, oil, and sugars on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
  • Lower the speed to medium and add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until each is fully incorporated before adding the next (about 30 seconds). Add the vanilla.
  • With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients alternating with the buttermilk mixture into the creamed mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just incorporated and remove bowl from stand mixer.
  • Stir in the bananas.
  • Carefully smooth the batter with small offset palette knife, and bake until a toothpick or skewer comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes.
  • Let the cake cool completely.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

  • In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and cream cheese. Beat on medium speed for about two minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
  • With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the powdered sugar, followed by the cream, vanilla and pinch of salt.
  • Turn the mixer up to medium-high speed and beat for about 3 to 5 minutes.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Cake
Keyword: Banana Cake, cream cheese frosting

Join the Conversation

  1. I really want to make this a a 2 layer cake, do you think that would be possible? If so do you think 2, 8 inch pans would work?

  2. 5 stars
    So simple and so delicious! I really didn’t expect it to be such a hit at work. I have lots of frosting leftover, so guess I need to make another cake 😉

    1. I love to hear it!

  3. 3 stars
    The banana cake part of this recipe was great, but the icing was entirely too much…in more ways than one. It made way too much icing for a 9×13 cake – the layer of icing was almost as thick as the cake itself. And it didn’t really taste like cream cheese – I think the 6 cups of powdered sugar really overpowered that flavor and it turned out way too sweet. If making this again, I’d half the icing recipe at the very least.

    1. 3 stars
      Agree on the frosting. I couldn’t pick up the cream cheese taste and the frosting was as thick as the cake. I’d half the frosting recipe and cut back on the powdered sugar.

      The cake though was amazingly soft.

  4. How many cupcakes does this recipe make?

    1. About 2 dozen

      1. How long would you bake as cupcakes

        1. About 20 to 25 minutes

  5. How long should this bake if you did a 3 layered 8 inch cake?

  6. Thanks for all of the great things you share!

    I am wondering if this cake can be frozen like your layer cakes?

  7. 5 stars
    This cake is amazing! I made this for a potluck and everyone loved it! It did take an hour long to bake instead of the 35-40 minutes, but it turned out perfectly. This is my first recipe of yours that I have tried and I am looking forward to trying out many more.

    1. So happy you loved it!

  8. 5 stars
    Everyone loved the banana cake. Will be making this cake again but will be adding nuts. How much nuts should be added?

  9. 5 stars
    I made a double batch of this because I needed 4 dozen cupcakes and it made about 7 dozen, I would definitely say one batch makes 3 dozen! The cakes was so yummy and so was the frosting!!

  10. 5 stars
    I have made this a few times, always with great results. I have baked in all sorts of sizes…cupcakes, the listed 9 x 13, a half sheet jelly roll pan, and a 6 inch layer cake–with one layer baked in a metal bowl–that I turned into a minion for my son’s birthday. Always moist and delish! I did have a question…If I bake this and leave it unfrosted, can I freeze it to thaw and frost later with good results? I am having a bit of a scheduling conundrum…

  11. 5 stars
    I am OBSESSED with this cake!!! It is the only real cake recipe that I have attempted. I have made it several times and am going to try my hand at this recipe with cupcakes tonight! The flavors are stunning. I especially love adding walnuts to the cake. Thank you for sharing this recipe!

  12. I am in the middle of making this! So excited to try it. Should this be kept refrigerated after baking and frosting it?

    1. I like to cut the slices and put in the freezer

  13. 4 stars
    The cake tasted VERY good but it cooked wayyyy longer than instructions. Also, the center dropped so much. I just wonder what I did wrong. I used room temp ingredients. The bananas were cold?? I also used a glass 13×9 pan??? That’s the only two things not mentioned in recipe directions that might have made a difference??

    1. Yeah those could have contributed to it. Good suggestion to add to the post. A glass pan takes longer to bake for sure. You could also use a little less sugar next time. Sometimes sugar can weigh cakes down in certain altitudes and climates.

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