🍌🍰 This is the best banana cake with cream cheese frosting — soft, tender, moist, and full of banana flavor thanks to four ripe bananas. A tangy-sweet cream cheese frosting elevates the cake and makes it a family favorite. It’s also quick and simple to prepare.
Best Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
I’ve been baking banana recipes for years, from fudgy banana bars to classic banana breads and smoothies. This banana cake has earned near five-star reviews for good reason.
- Soft, tender, moist: The texture is just dense enough without being heavy, and the four bananas give the cake a pronounced banana flavor.
- Cream cheese frosting: The tangy frosting complements the banana perfectly. You can skip frosting or use another kind, but cream cheese is my favorite pairing for this cake.
I made it for Mother’s Day. It was so fluffy and delicious! I used sour cream for cake, but not heavy at all. Good recipe for using bananas! No need frosting for my family — will bake again 🙂
— June
Recipe Ingredients
These are easy-to-find pantry and refrigerator ingredients used in the cake and frosting:
- Milk + lemon juice or buttermilk: To sour regular milk, add 1 tablespoon lemon juice to 1 cup of 2% or whole milk and let it sit 5 minutes. Or use 1 cup buttermilk.
- All-purpose flour: Measure correctly: spoon flour into the cup and level it, or use a kitchen scale to avoid a dense cake.
- Leaveners: Baking soda and baking powder provide lift for a light crumb.
- Spices & salt: Ground cinnamon adds warmth; salt enhances flavor.
- Unsalted butter: Use room temperature butter for proper creaming.
- Granulated and light brown sugar: Brown sugar adds moisture and a subtle molasses note that pairs well with banana.
- Large eggs at room temperature.
- Greek yogurt or sour cream: Adds moisture and tenderness.
- Vanilla extract for flavor.
- Fresh ripe bananas: Use very ripe bananas for maximum sweetness and flavor; about 1 3/4 to 2 cups mashed from four medium bananas.
- Cream cheese frosting: Brick-style full-fat cream cheese, room-temperature unsalted butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Add 1–2 tablespoons heavy cream if you prefer a silkier frosting.
Tip for silkier frosting
Add 1–2 tablespoons heavy cream while beating the frosting to create a smoother, fluffier texture. Regular milk works in a pinch.
Note: For ingredient amounts and complete directions, refer to the recipe card below.
How to Make the Best Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Follow these straightforward steps for a reliable, moist banana cake:
- Prepare milk and lemon juice (or set buttermilk) and preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare a 9×13-inch pan by spraying or lining with foil for easier cleanup.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
- Cream room-temperature butter until smooth, then add granulated and brown sugars and beat until creamy. Add eggs, Greek yogurt (or sour cream), and vanilla and mix to combine.
- Add the ripe bananas and mix in. If bananas are very ripe, you can add them whole and let the mixer mash them; otherwise mash first.
- Alternately add the dry mix and the milk/buttermilk in three additions, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix lightly—do not overmix. The batter will be thick and slightly lumpy from the bananas.
- Pour into the prepared pan and bake 45–50 minutes, or until top is set, lightly golden, and a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Avoid overbaking to keep the cake moist. Cool completely in the pan.
- To make the frosting, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and salt, starting on low speed and then increasing until fluffy. Add up to 1/2 cup more sugar if you prefer a thicker frosting.
- Spread the frosting over the cooled cake. Garnish with banana slices and a sprinkle of cinnamon if desired. Serve.
Freezer trick for extra moist cake
Right after baking, place the cake in its pan into the freezer for 45 minutes. Rapid cooling helps lock moisture into the crumb. You can frost the cake straight from the freezer after that time.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. Store-bought whipped cream cheese-style frostings are a convenient substitute when you don’t want to make frosting from scratch. Approximately 14 ounces of tub frosting will cover a 9×13-inch cake. Scratch frosting usually tastes better, but a good quality tub frosting works well in a pinch.
Yes. For a layer cake, use either three 8-inch rounds or two 9-inch rounds and divide the batter evenly. For a Bundt, use a large 12-cup pan. Do not overfill pans; fill to about two-thirds full and adjust baking time as needed.
Yes. Fill standard cupcake liners about two-thirds full and bake at 350°F for 18–22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before topping with frosting.
Overbaking is the most common cause. Oven temperatures vary, so start checking around 40 minutes. The cake is done when the top is set and springy and a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Also check that baking soda and powder are fresh.
A sink can result from underbaking (center not set), overmixing (too much air/structure collapse), or expired leaveners. Make sure the toothpick comes out clean before removing the cake from the oven.
Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
- 9Ă—13-inch baking pan
- Glass measuring cup
- Two large mixing bowls
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment or hand mixer
Ingredients
Banana Cake
- 1 cup 2% or whole milk + 1 tablespoon lemon juice OR 1 cup buttermilk, at room temp
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- 1½ cups unsalted butter, softened to room temp
- 1 cup granulated sugar (or 1⅓–1½ cups for a sweeter cake)
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 5 ounces Greek yogurt or sour cream (about ½ heaping cup)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 medium very ripe bananas (about 1¾–2 cups mashed)
Cream Cheese Frosting* (See Notes)
- 8 ounces brick-style cream cheese, softened (full-fat)
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3 to 3½ cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ÂĽ teaspoon salt, or to taste
Instructions
Banana Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare a 9×13-inch pan and set aside.
- Mix lemon juice into the milk and let it sit. If using buttermilk, have it at room temperature.
- Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
- Cream butter in a mixer until light and fluffy. Add sugars and beat until creamy.
- Add eggs, Greek yogurt or sour cream, and vanilla; beat to combine.
- Add bananas and beat to incorporate. If bananas aren’t very ripe, mash before adding.
- Add half the dry ingredients and half the milk, mix lightly. Repeat with remaining dry ingredients and milk. Do not overmix.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake 45–50 minutes, until set and lightly golden and a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan. While it cools, make the frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy.
- Add 3 cups confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and salt. Start on low speed to incorporate, then increase and beat until fluffy.
- If needed, add up to ½ cup more confectioners’ sugar for a thicker frosting.
- Spread frosting over the cooled cake and serve.
Notes
Storage: You can store a frosted cake at room temperature for a day; otherwise cover and refrigerate for up to 1 week. Refrigeration can dry cakes slightly over time.
Nutrition values are automatically generated and should be used as an approximation.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation.
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