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.
antika
hey! can I make this in two 8inch pans? i want to make layer cake. thankyou!
Sam
Hi Antika! I haven’t tried baking it in 2 8 inch pans. You will have enough batter so I don’t see any reason it couldn’t work. 🙂
Shelley Johnn
Hi Sam. My first time baking one of your recipes and WOW what a success! My 96 year old mother wanted me to use up some of the oatmeal as I overbought on a BYOB. I found your best chewy oatmeal cookie recipe and made them the day my daughter Sam came over with my 15 and 16 year old grandsons to go swimming. The cookies were almost gone before they went home and I just finished baking a second batch for my mother. Thank you for being such a perfectionist. I am trying the banana cake recipe next.
Shelley
Sam
Hi Shelley! I’m so glad everyone enjoyed everything so much! I really appreciate reading comments like this. It makes me smile and makes all of the hard work worth it. Happy baking! 🙂
Donna
Best I’ve ever had. Your recipes are truly a culinary art. Thank you.
Sam
You’re so sweet, Donna! I’m so glad the recipe was such a success for you, thank you for commenting!
Kat
Oh wow!!! This cake is amazing!! I did add. Cool Whip to the frosting to lighten in up but that was more for the tastes of the people we were with that evening,
Looking forward to making this again SOON!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Kat! 🙂
Robert Prazeres
Hello,
I made 3 batches of this cake this weekend, I baked in 3 8 inch pans, then used custard filling with mini chocolate chips & fudge frosting, for a Banana Chocolate Chip Cake, I have future orders for this cake, I even used my homemade brown sugar in the recipe, it truly is an amazing cake & super moist & flavorful, thanks… too bad I can’t post photo here :(… 🙂
Sam
That is so awesome! I’m so glad everyone enjoys it so much! If you have an instagram you can tag me @sugarspun_sam or you can post pics in my facebook group. 🙂
Amelia
Can I make this into cupcakes? What would you suggest as the bake time then?
Sam
Hi Amelia! I would recommend my banana cupcake recipe instead, which has been particularly designed to work best as cupcakes (it is closely based off of this recipe).
Magee
Can I put chocolate chips? Please let me know
Sam
Hi Magee! That will work just fine. I would just stir them in briefly at the end. 🙂
Evelyn
Hi, can I use cake flour instead of regular flour for this cake recipe?
Sam
Hi Evelyn! I haven’t tried it but I think it could work if substituted properly. 🙂
Jennifer
Hi Sam! I really want to make this but I don’t like walnuts. Do you think pecans would be ok? Or would I be better off just leaving the nuts out? Thank you!
Sam
Hi Jennifer! You could use pecans if you’d like or you can just leave them off. 🙂
Larry
Made this tonight. I added raisins. We can’t have nuts so I added red sprinkles to the top. Very tasty. thanks for the recipe.
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it, Larry! 🙂
Hamida Musa
Pls how much white sugar can you add if you can’t get brown sugar??
Sam
Hi Hamida! You can use the same amount of granulated sugar. The cake won’t be quite as moist and flavorful. I do have an article on how to make brown sugar you could check out. 🙂
Jess
I love this cake recipe so much! I have made it twice and I make it into a cute little layered cake with the naked frosting look and it turns out so so cute and delicious!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Jess! 🙂
Samantha
Hi Sam, your blog is definitely one of the best baking blogs out there and I am honestly so grateful to have stumbled upon it! I am planning to bake this banana cake as a layer cake and fill it with pastry cream for my mom’s birthday. Which frosting do you think will go well with that combination? Thank you so much!
Sugar Spun Run
Happy (early) Birthday to your mom, Samantha! If you are planning to create a banana cake, with a pastry cream center, I would reccomend either the cream cheese frosting, vanilla buttercream, or chocolate cream cheese frosting. One of those options would work nicely. I hope that your mother enjoys her cake. Keep me posted on how it turns out! 🙂
Samantha
Tasted soo delicious! My mom ate half of the cake in one day, its now her favorite😄!
The chocolate cream cheese frosting, pastry cream, and this amazing banana cake went together so well! Thanks for all of the awesome recipes, Sam!
Sam
That is so awesome! I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it so much. Sounds like mom will be asking for another one soon. 😂 🙂
Janet Pohl
The best banana cake I ever ate! The frosting is very special, too, and suits the cake perfectly. I made this for a birthday cake and we all loved it. Thank you so much for this recipe.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that everyone enjoyed it, Janet! Thanks for using my recipe for such a special occasion. 🙂
Jane
Is there any other type of glaze or frosting that you would recomend with this cake? I want to make this for my mom but she’s not a big fan of sugar so if there was anything that isn’t as sweet but taste good with this cake I would love to try it out. Thanks!
Sam
Hi Jane! You could use the glaze that I use in my bundt cake but I honestly like the cream cheese frosting here because I don’t think it’s overly sweet.
Sash
Can I make cupcakes with this recipe ?
Sam
That should work here. The cupcakes may not bake up very tall but they should definitely still turn out. 🙂
Jonie
I really love this recipe. Is it sturdy enough to make it as a layer cake?
Sam
Hi Jonie! It should hold up pretty well for you. 🙂
SandyH
Is there no brown sugar in the frosting?
Sam
You may be remembering my brown sugar frosted banana cake, but I have since removed that recipe as this one is much much better. If you want a brown sugar frosting you can use the frosting from my pumpkin cupcakes. 🙂