Best Banana Cake Recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting
Banana cake is one of my favorite easy desserts to make. It’s pretty simple, and the result is always delicious. Plus, you can never go wrong with cream cheese frosting. This particular recipe is definitely a winner in my book! Give it a try for yourself and see if you think it’s the best. 🙂
What a great way to use up those bananas that didn’t get eaten while they were pretty and perfectly yellow! Sometimes we end up eating them all and other times we have several that are left behind.
If you’re not quite ready to make banana cake, before you just toss those brown bananas, simply peel them, cut them in half, and place them in a Ziploc baggie in the freezer for smoothies and maybe some of this best banana cake!
Ingredients Needed for Banana Cake
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup greek yogurt, room temperature
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3 ripe bananas, mashed
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
How to Make Banana Cake
Step 1.
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9” x 13” casserole dish and set it aside.
Step 2.
In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt until well mixed. Set aside.
Step 3.
In a large bowl, beat together the greek yogurt and sugars for 2 minutes until light and sugar no longer appear grainy.
Step 4.
Add the mashed bananas, eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla extract. Beat until well combined.
Step 5.
Add half of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, beat well, and then add the remaining half, beating until no dry patches remain.
Step 6.
Pour the batter into your prepared casserole dish and bake for 40-50 minutes, until well browned and pulled away from the sides of the casserole dish.
Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting.
Ingredients for Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1/2 cup butter, softened at room temperature
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, to taste
- 3-4 cups powdered icing sugar, to personal preference
How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting
First up for the cream cheese frosting, combine the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until completely combined. Beat in the vanilla extract.
Next, start off by adding 2 cups of powdered icing sugar, beat well, then add additional as needed.
Finally, use an offset spatula to spread the cream cheese frosting on the cake.
Look at how rich and creamy the cream cheese frosting is!
The great thing about this banana cake recipe (aside from its yumminess) is how simple and easy to follow it is, even if you’re not an experienced baker. Will you try it out for yourself? Once you do, let us know how it turns out in the comments below. We can’t wait to hear about your baking successes! Enjoy!
What is the difference between banana bread and cake?
A true banana cake is made like a regular yellow cake with the addition of mashed bananas for flavor. Banana bread, on the other hand, has a firmer more dense texture than banana cake. Banana bread is great for slicing, toasting and melting butter on top for a breakfast treat.
Should banana cake be refrigerated?
Yes, any cake with eggs and fruit like a banana cake should be kept refrigerated and can stay that way for up to seven days. If you are going to keep it in the fridge for several days, it is best to cover it with a seal-tight lid and not to add icing.
Why is my banana cake dense?
You may not have added enough leavening ingredient such as the baking powder or baking soda required for your elevation. The ingredients in a banana cake are so wet that it takes just the right combination to make it fluffy.
TIP: To find out if your banana cake is completely baked, insert a toothpick and see if it comes out clean. If it is still wet with batter, it is not ready to come out of the oven.
Cover with foil if the top starts to turn too brown.
Be sure to PIN this for later!
Other dessert recipes you’ll love
- Cherry Cheesecake Dump Cake
- Easy Oreo Truffles
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Fudge
- 3 Ingredient Chocolate Fudge
- Pumpkin Spice Drop Cookies
- Coffee Cake Cookies
- No-Bake Cookies with Nutella
Banana Cake Recipe
Equipment
- mixer
- Mixing Bowls
- Baking Spatula
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ cup greek yogurt room temperature
- 1 cup white sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 3 ripe bananas, mashed
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting
- ½ cup butter, softened at room temperature
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract, to taste
- 3-4 cups powdered icing sugar, to personal preference
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9” x 13” casserole dish and set it aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt until well mixed. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat together the greek yogurt and sugars for 2 minutes until light and sugar no longer appear grainy.
- Add the mashed bananas, eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla extract. Beat until well combined.
- Add half of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, beat well, and then add the remaining half, beating until no dry patches remain.
- Pour the batter into your prepared casserole dish and bake for 40-50 minutes.
How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting
- Combine the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until completely combined. Beat in the vanilla extract.
- Start off by adding 2 cups of powdered icing sugar, beat well, then add additional as needed.
- Use an offset spatula to spread the cream cheese frosting on the cake.
