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
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Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 pan.
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Place 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice in a measuring cup. Top to 1 ½ cups with milk. Set aside.
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Mix together mashed banana with 1 tablespoon lemon juice, set aside.
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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).
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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.
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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).
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Remove from oven and place in the freezer for 45 minutes to make the cake extra moist. Cool completely before frosting.
FROSTING
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Cream together butter & cream cheese until fluffy. Add in lemon zest and juice.
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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
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Repin this Delicious Dessert!
This recipe has been retested and updated 11/20/16.
Very slightly adapted from food.com
seriously the best. Ppl still talking about it years later.
Hi, super confused. Plz help. I just made this and realized, since I doubled the recipe it called for 3cups of milk but in the directions in the converted recipe just shows a use of a cup and a half. this is already in the oven, did I screw it up?
The ingredients list will change when you double the recipe however, the written directions do not automatically update so it sounds like it did it just right!
I am a terrible baker, came across this recipe, followed it to a T, minus the freezer part and it was amazing! I shared with neighbors, and they were equally impressed! Definitely saved recipe!
This is my favorite cake! Had never used lemon in cream cheese icing… and oh boy! Loved it!
Thank you.
I have loved every recipe of your that I have tried!
Again… thank you
Just put mine in the oven!! The freezer part sounds a little unusual in my baking experience. I’m a little afraid to try it!!
You can set it on the counter for your dish to cool down a bit before popping it in the freezer if you are nervous. But it helps make the cake extra moist so I definitely recommend trying it.
wonderful recipe!
How long will this be good for? Can I make it ahead of time? Thanks!!
Hi Joylene, this cake should last up to a week if stored in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer.
Just made this cake and was wondering how to store it. Should it be refrigerated?
I usually store it in the refrigerator and try to leave it at room temp at least 30 min before serving. Enjoy Paula!
Made today in two round pans and can tell without even slicing it is going to be a perfect texture. 30 minute bake time was exactly correct. Thanks for the great recipe I always have overripe bananas to use up and drop ins looking for dessert!
Delicious!
Delicious receive complements! This time I was out of milk( buttermilk) so used cottage cheese and worked like a charm!
VERY good. However, I took half of the cake out of the pan, and let it cool on the counter. I put the other half in the freezer. We definitely preferred the one on the counter. It was so very moist. YUM! I also sprinkled some walnut pieces on the frosting. But hands-down, this is the best banana cake I’ve ever eaten.
Hi!
Do you think I could add chocolate and pecans and it would still be good?
I think that’d be great. I would suggested tossing them with a tablespoon or so of flour before adding to the batter so they don’t sink to the bottom of the cake. Let us know how it goes!