This is the best easy, moist banana cake recipe, and it’s made completely from scratch! My recipe is perfectly balanced with extra bananas and complementary spices and it’s crowned with a silky smooth cream cheese frosting. This is the snack cake of your dreams!
An Easy, Moist Banana Cake Recipe
This banana cake recipe exist solely because so many of you wrote to tell me how much you loved my banana muffins (see, I don’t call them “the best” for nothing) and asked if you could use that recipe to make a cake. The translation from muffin to cake wasn’t perfect, so I headed to the kitchen and, well over a dozen well-browned bananas later, finally have a perfectly moist and yet fluffy version that I think you’ll love.
Why This Recipe Works:
- The bananas do the heavy lifting. Overripe bananas are of course key for intense flavor, but they’re also full of natural sugars and pectin. These help lock in moisture and create a plush, super moist crumb, without making the cake dense.
- Oil for moisture, butter for flavor. Just using butter can leave you with a dry cake, while the flavor can fall flat without it. A balance of both works great here: butter adds rich flavor and oil keeps the crumb tender longer (especially helpful if you refrigerate the cake!). There’s a reason I use this blend of the two in so many cake recipes, like my vanilla cake and chocolate cake recipe!
- Cream cheese frosting, balanced just right. Cream cheese frosting is good enough to eat on its own by the spoonful, but the tangy element of it works especially well here to counter the sweet, banana-rich base. A little acidity balances the whole bite, so it doesn’t feel too heavy! Psst: If you really want to make this cake luxurious, try my cream cheese-based brown butter frosting!)
I went through a lot of overripe bananas (and some not-so-ripe ones, in moments of desperation), and finally ended up modifying my pumpkin cake (of all things) to land on this winning banana cake recipe. It’s incredibly soft, fluffy yet moist, and topped with a smooth and creamy version of my popular cream cheese frosting (though to make things extra decadent try it with my brown butter frosting!).
What You Need:
My banana cake recipe was carefully and intentionally designed to be sweet, simple, super flavorful, and moist. When developing it, I largely drew from my pumpkin cake (of all things), and it worked wonderfully. Let’s talk about a few of the key players:
- Bananas. For the best flavor & moistest cake, you should use ripe, spotty bananas. Have some that are looking a little overripe on your counter and starting to attract fruit flies? Grab those. Ideally I prefer mine to be browner than the too-yellow ones shown in the photo above (but my recipe is versatile, so use what you have on hand!). King Arthur has a great guide on choosing the best bananas to use.
- Butter AND oil. Those of you who have made my Funfetti cake or marble cake recipe know that a blend of the two yields a better cake than simply using all butter or all oil. For my banana cake recipe I sought balance, and a blend of the two yielded a perfect moist cake. For the oil, any neutral cooking oil (canola or vegetable are most common) will work.
- Sugar. Another best-of-both-worlds scenario. Granulated sugar adds sweetness without weighing the cake down too much, while brown sugar adds depth of flavor, thanks to the molasses.
- Leavening Agents. Baking powder and baking soda create a perfect rise. The baking soda reacts with the banana and buttermilk (and helps create that beautiful golden surface), while the baking powder ensures a reliably even lift across the cake. Without the two of them we’d have a dense, gummy cake.
- Buttermilk. While this plays a role in helping the banana cake to rise a bit when combined with the baking soda, perhaps more importantly it adds moisture and a very subtle tangy flavor. You may use my buttermilk substitute if you can’t find buttermilk in stores (or just don’t have any), but the “real” stuff is best here as it will yield the best texture.
This is just an overview of a few of the main ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Banana Cake
Make the cake
- Mash the bananas! A potato masher or even just a fork works well. Try to mash out as many lumps as you can, but it’s OK that you won’t be able to get all of them.
- Beat together the sugars and butter. Look for a light, creamy, well-combined mixture, then stir in the oil until it’s well incorporated.
- Add the bananas to the butter/sugar mixture and stir well to combine.
- Add the eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla extract and stir well. The batter most likely won’t be smooth since your mashed bananas are bound to be a bit lumpy, but everything should be thoroughly mixed (especially since you need to be quite light-handed in the next step.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients.
- Stir the dry ingredients into the wet. You want the ingredients to be thoroughly combined, but as with banana bread or pancakes, over-mixing can result in dense, dry results.
- Spread the batter evenly into a greased baking pan. I use a metal pan, if you use a glass one note that your cake will take longer to bake than indicated.
- Check the doneness of the cake by inserting a toothpick into the center. The toothpick should come out mostly clean, or, preferably, with some moist crumbs (but not raw batter!).
Make the Frosting
- Combine (softened!) cream cheese, butter, vanilla extract, and salt and beat until smooth and creamy. There should be no lumps remaining (if it’s lumpy, your cream cheese may have been too cold).
- Gradually add the powdered sugar until completely combined.
- Add the cream. If you want a thicker frosting, you can skip this step, but I like the looser, silky feel that adding a splash of cream adds.
- Spread the frosting over the (cooled) cake. Top with regular or toasted pecans or walnuts (or a drizzle of caramel sauce! Or dulce de leche!) for a finishing touch!
Frequently Asked Questions
This banana cake recipe should yield results that are perfectly moist, but certainly not oily. If yours seems more of the latter than the former, consider these possible issues.
1) Using too much banana can make the cake too wet and make it seem oily. While just grabbing 4 ripe bananas might work out just fine for you, if they’re larger than you realize it could cause a wet cake, and for this reason I recommend you mash and then measure your bananas.
2) Not thoroughly combining the wet ingredients, or not thoroughly combining the wet and dry ingredients together. Make sure you stir very well when mixing the butter/bananas etc., then when you combine the wet and dry ingredients do so carefully but thoroughly (remember that over-mixing at this step can yield dense, dry results).
3) Under-baking. Examine your toothpick carefully when testing. With such a moist cake, sometimes the toothpick may appear clean when there’s actually a thin, nearly translucent layer of banana cake batter on it. The toothpick should be dry or (preferably) have moist, discernible crumbs.
I have not one, but 3 secrets to share with you, but know it’s all about a smart selection of ingredients and a little baking science. First: very ripe bananas are key to a good banana cake recipe! As bananas ripen, their starches turn to sugar and the moisture content increases, keeping the cake moist and flavorful. Second: a blend of oil and butter adds both moisture and flavor. Finally: just the right amount of brown sugar. Brown sugar doesn’t just add flavor, it also helps the cake stay soft and tender even after a night in the fridge, thanks to the fact it’s hygroscopic (this just means it loves moisture!).
Banana bread is baked in a bread pan, is more dense and hearty and a bit less sweet. It has more of a “let’s call this breakfast” energy. Banana cake would be hard to pass off as breakfast food. It’s baked in a cake pan, fluffier and even more moist, and dressed up with a heavy-handed swirl of frosting.
Either over or under-mixing can result in a cake that sinks as it cools. If the banana cake is not baked thoroughly, this can also cause it to sink after baking. Finally, if your baking powder or baking soda are expired and/or not properly stored, this may cause the cake to not rise properly. Store these in a cool dry place and make sure they are not expired before you use them.
This cake is very carefully and specifically designed to be moist, so it’s unlikely you’ll run into this issue (I’m not sure anyone has so far!) BUT, if you do it’s likely because:
1) The flour was accidentally over-measured. I recommend that you use a kitchen scale or stir your flour, spoon it into a measuring cup, and then level it off (see my post on how to measure flour).
2) It was baked too long or your oven is running too hot. Unfortunately many ovens do not run true to temperature, and for this reason I recommend keeping an oven thermometer in yours.
More Banana Recipes to Try!
It took quite a bit of tweaking and testing but I’m very proud to finally be sharing my favorite banana cake recipe with you. If you try it, please leave me a comment letting me know how you liked it!
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! Make sure to check out the how-to VIDEO in the recipe card!
The Best Banana Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- ¾ cup (175 ml) avocado, canola or vegetable oil
- 1 cup (200 g) light or dark brown sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) sugar
- 2 cups (470 g) well-mashed ripe bananas (this is typically 4 bananas for me)
- 2 large eggs room temperature preferred
- ¼ cup (60 ml) buttermilk
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups (312 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
Silky Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 oz (225 g) cream cheese softened
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ cups (315 g) powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon heavy cream
- ½ cup chopped walnuts for topping (optional)
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and spray a 9×13" (approximately 23x33cm) pan with baking spray or lightly grease and flour. Set aside.
- Combine butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl and use an electric mixer). Beat until well-combined and light and fluffy.¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter, 1 cup (200 g) light or dark brown sugar, ½ cup (100 g) sugar
- Add oil and beat to combine.¾ cup (175 ml) avocado, canola or vegetable oil
- Stir in mashed bananas.2 cups (470 g) well-mashed ripe bananas
- Add eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla extract and stir until well-combined.2 large eggs, ¼ cup (60 ml) buttermilk, 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.2 ½ cups (312 g) all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt
- Gradually add to wet ingredients until completely combined.
- Spread batter into prepared pan and bake on 350F (175C) for 45-55 minutes (see note 1) or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean with few moist crumbs. Allow to cool completely before covering with frosting.
Silky Cream Cheese Frosting
- Combine cream cheese, butter, vanilla extract, and salt in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until creamy.8 oz (225 g) cream cheese, ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon salt
- With mixer on low-speed, gradually add powdered sugar until completely combined.2 ½ cups (315 g) powdered sugar
- Add heavy cream and gradually increase speed to high. Beat on high for 30 seconds.1 Tablespoon heavy cream
- Spread over completely cooled banana cake. Top with chopped walnuts (if using). Slice and serve!½ cup chopped walnuts
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
This banana cake recipe was first published March 2018. The recipe remains unchanged, but the content of the post has been updated to include more helpful information as well as a how-to video tutorial.
Tricia
I’m going to make this for Easter. And after reading some reviews, I may substitute plain apple sauce for the oil. And since I don’t use white flour, I’ll use coconut & almond flour. A little more healthier LOL Fingers crossed it turns out ok. Thanks for the recipe. Happy Easter!
Sam
I hope you love it! Let me know how it turns out! 🙂
Mika Darlene Pickard
My family, friends, and coworkers absolutely LOVED this cake!!!! I made it for my ex-boyfriend and he actually tried to eat the entire cake by himself!!! I love how moist and flavorful this cake is. And this icing, OMG!!!!! The icing is the best cream cheese icing I’ve ever made. WOW!!! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed the cake so much, Mika! You can never go wrong with cream cheese frosting! 😉
Lidia Bayliss
Cake was tasty but too much fat (2-3 times other recipes). I’ll use half the amount next time and see how it turns out. The frosting was delicious, the best I’ve had. Thanks!
Mika Pickard
I cannot thank you for this recipe!!! The cake was super moist. And that fantastic icing!!! OMG!!!! I’ve received so many compliments on this recipe!!!!
P.s. Thanks so much for the information about using the foil to tent the cake. Thanks again!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed the cake, Mika! 🙂
Lori chesney
Why is there a choice of light or dark brown sugar? Which one should I use? What is the difference between the two when baking? Help me please!!!
Sam
Hi Lori! Either will work perfectly fine. Dark brown sugar lends a tad more moisture, richness, and color to the cake. I usually use whichever one I have on hand. I hope you love the cake 🙂
Galeb
I had several bananas I needed to use ASAP. I just usually make banana bread but I decided to look for a recipe that used a significant amount of bananas. Once I saw that this banana cake used a whole 2 cups of bananas, I decided to make it. It is delicious and full of banana flavor. I followed recipe exactly and was very pleased with the results. The addition of whipping cream to the frosting lightened the usually heavy cream cheese. I will make this again.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed the cake, Galeb! 🙂
Lorraine
Hi, I made this yesterday, but amended as i went, i didn’t put in the white sugar, only put in 120ml oil, my eggs were small and added another one, and added a bag of chocolate chips, I’ve never had so many complements on a cake before, but I did have a cunning plan which was to arrive with it just out of the oven, oh and I added apple pie spices though, I usually go by the recipes and hate people who tweak them, so sorry, but your muffins were fab, and this is another recipe to add to my growing collection,
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed the cake, Lorraine! 🙂
Dawna Meier
Absolutely amazing. Super moist and delicious
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed the cake, Dawna! 🙂
Midge
I made this cake on Saturday late in the afternoon. Today is Monday morning and the cake is gone.
My husband told me not to make it again, he can’t stop eating it. My son love it also. We all loved the cake.
I followed the receipt and it was the best cake I have ever made.
All because no one ate the bananas this week.
Thank you so much.
Sam
😂 Sounds like they secretly want another cake! 😉 I am so glad everyone enjoyed it. 🙂
Vandana
This is one hell of a recipe! I instinctively knew when I read the recipe that it is it! I read all the comments and became slightly skeptical about people saying it’s oily. I used exact measurements except I used 3 eggs. I added cinnamon. Instead of butter milk i used half cup milk and one lemon juice left unstirred for sometime. I made the exact icing but used a pinch of cream of tartar and a dash of coconut powder. This is s really really good recipe. It’s going to be my best banana cake ever!
Sam
Thank you so much! I am so glad you enjoyed the cake! 🙂
Claudia
Hallo Sam,
the cake sounds lush to me, will give it a go next weekend. Since I am from germany, please tell me if the 9×13 tin size are inches ? I will have to convert:-)
Thanx 4 ur help
Rgds from Alzey
Claudia
Sam
Hi Claudia! The metric size of a 9 x 13 inch pan is 33 x 23 x 5 cm. 🙂
Liz
Tasted awsome.. But my cake did not rise.. Everything was as per meaurement
Sam
Hi Liz! Could your baking powder or baking soda have been bad/expired? That might have kept the cake from rising. I’m glad you enjoyed the taste! 🙂
Kris Lutz
Sam, thank you so much for this fabulous recipe! My husband asked for a banana cake with cream cheese icing for his birthday. When I came across this recipe, I appreciated all your effort to perfect it. And all the comments were glowing. So I made it. Oh. My. Gosh. Fabulous! Moist, rich, banana taste; creamy icing; deliciousness. Thank you for helping me treat my husband on his birthday!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it, Kris! 🙂
Carl
Taste ok but came out extremely oily. Might cut back on the oil next time. Made it once using measuring cups then again with weighed out ingredients and the same result.
Sam
Hmm I am disappointed to hear it was so oily. I will do some trouble shooting in my kitchen to see why that could have happened. 🙂
Aanchal Soni
My cake turned out a little sour in taste perhaps because of salt. Also it was too oily. Do we need to cut down butter or oil’s measure???
Can i skip salt the next time i try??
I used the exact measurements.
Sam
I wouldn’t recommend cutting down the salt, nor do i recommend cutting the butter or oil. I’m really not sure where the sour taste might’ve come from (not from the salt, though), if it was too oily I’m wondering if the flour may have not been measured properly, did you use cups or a scale?
Aanchal Soni
I used the scale. If I forget the salty taste, oil was dominating banana’s flavor.
Katt
So I love this recipe! I used salted butter and didn’t add any salt. For cake and frosting. Also the second time I baked this cake, I added a third egg and made it a two layer cake. The extra egg made it 👌. Moist and delicious. Not nearly as thick and dense as with only 2 eggs. Thanks for posting this recipe! Everyone asks for it now!