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!
The Best Banana Cake
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 2 ½ tablespoons lemon juice divided
- 1 ⅓ cup mashed bananas
- ⅔ cup 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 lemon juice
- 1 ½ teaspoons lemon zest from 1 lemon
- 3-3 ½ cups powdered sugar
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 350°. 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.
Repin this Delicious Dessert!
This recipe has been retested and updated 11/20/16.
Very slightly adapted from food.com
Hello!
Can I make this into 2- round cakes instead?
Yes, that will work just fine. The cooking time will need to be adjusted.
I made this cake for the 4th of July and it was a showstopper!
The lemon zest makes the frosting taste so much different it is a zing.
The cake was fluffy and moist, I used 4 bananas.
It is officially my favorite cake to make
I made this cake following the recipe but skipping the frosting and adding chocolate chips. It’s was amazing!!!
can i use Philadelphia cream cheese?
This icing works best with a brick of cream cheese softened to room temperature.
This is cake defines “elevated”. Banana baked anything would take me back to lockdown and was really just a way to use up overripe bananas. But this recipe brings banana cake out of the basic baker’s loaf to something you serve and decorate and be proud of! Light, moist and not too sweet! I made a caramel and banana icing made it into two cakes for 6 people and only got one slice! I did sub 1/2 T of lemon juice with about 1/3 cup sour cream. Lovely posh cake. Maybe chocolate ganache topping next time. Thank you!
I am glad you enjoyed it!
I cannot express in words how freaking amazing this cake is. Omg. What the heck. How can a cake be this DELICIOUS! Best banana cake hands down. It came out soooo moist and the frosting I used vanilla extract instead of lemon juice because it was faster than juicing a lemon lol but man it was still so good. I will definitely be making this over and over again.
This cake is phenomenal! Beating the butter, sugars and eggs for 5 minutes results in a cake that is high. Each piece is substantial and really satisfying. I made half the frosting recipe and found that it was plenty for the cake. I’ll definitely be making this again. Whenever I have very ripe bananas, I mash them and put them in freezer-safe containers in 1 1/3 cup portions so that I’ll always have the mashed bananas in stock. Thanks for the terrific recipe.
This recipe is so good! Great banana flavor. The cake was fluffy and moist.
Wasn’t wild about banana cake or cream cheese frosting in the past but love, love this! The lemon makes all the difference!
Followed this recipe exactly and it makes a beautiful tasty cake. It’s a keeper. Making it again today.
Would turbinado sugar work as a substitute for the brown sugar?
I have never tested this recipe with turbinado sugar so I can’t say for sure. I would love to hear how it turns out.
Easy to follow recipe. Tastes great!
Can I add walnuts to this cake? Thank you!
Walnuts are a great addition, Deborah!
Without a doubt, the best banana cake I have ever made. Moist with lots of banana flavor. Make it!! You won’t be disappointed!!
Hi, if I do not intend to add the cream cheese frosting, do I still freeze it for the full 45min? Do I cover it with aluminium foil when freezing? After the 45min, i should remove from freezer and leave it at room temperature until I’m ready to eat it?
Yes, freezing the cake will help make it moist. After 45 mins, you can remove it from the freezer until ready to eat.
We love this summer or fall. It’s with all the work and dishes
making this now so excited to try
how are you mixing the dry mix so as to not over mix ? do you just use a spatula to mix?
You can use a spatula to mix or the mixer set on the stir setting. We mix until just combined then fold in the banana with a spatula.
This may have been asked before, but can this cake be made as a layer cake? Any differences as far as instructions?
I haven’t made it as a layer cake Abbie, so I can’t say for sure. I know other readers have successfully made this in different pan sizes. I would suggest two 9″ pans and to start checking the cake around 30 minutes for doneness with a toothpick. They should still go in the freezer out of the oven. Let us know how it goes!
how are you mixing the dry mix so as to not over mix ? do you just use a spatula to mix?
I use a mixer, but mix just until the dry ingredients are incorporated.
Hi! I want to make these in mini loafs for my son’s birthday party as thank you for coming gifts. How long would you suggest to bake them? 30-45 minutes?
That is such a fun party favor, Brittany! I would recommend baking them for about 20-30 mins. Then use toothpick to see if they are fully cooked.
I have made this recipe twice now and both times my cake fell in the centre. I do the toothpick method to test too see if the cake is ready, and my toothpick comes out clean and dry. On the same hand the outside is cooked to perfection. The cake is amazingly tasty.
What am I doing wrong
Hi Cheryl! Thanks for trying out recipe, I am glad you enjoyed it! As for your cake falling in the middle it could be aa few things: be gentle when opening and closing the oven door or setting the cake on the counter as it can cause the center to fall, you will want to make sure you baking soda is still fresh. A common reason it falls in the center is from overmixing as well! So make sure you don’t overmix the batter in step 5. I hope that helps!