As If Banana Cake Wasn’t Good Enough, We Topped It With Cream Cheese Frosting

Move Over Banana Bread, We’re All About This Banana Cake Now

If you love banana bread and banana muffins, you’re going to adore this recipe for Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. It’s moist and flavorful, with just the right amount of sweetness. And the cream cheese frosting is absolutely divine. Trust me when I tell you that this is one cake that’s worth making from scratch!

Not only is this banana cake delicious, it’s also super moist. You can thank the buttermilk for that, which makes for a nice, tender crumb. The combination of fluffy cake, rich cream cheese frosting, and sweet bananas is sheer perfection on its own, but if you want to go the extra mile, consider adding chocolate chips or chopped nuts to the batter or as a garnish on top of the frosting.

What You’ll Need

You’ll find the ingredient quantities for this banana cake recipe in the recipe card at the bottom of the page, but here are some notes to keep in mind.

For the Cake:

• Ripe bananas – The darker, the better! Not only are riper bananas sweeter, they also impart more banana flavor into the cake.
• All-purpose flour – Although I haven’t tested it personally, you should be able to make this a gluten-free banana cake by swapping in gluten-free baking flour.
• Baking soda
• Baking powder
• Kosher salt
• Cinnamon – For that cozy flavor!
• Unsalted butter – Let this soften to room temperature.
• Granulated sugar
• Light brown sugar – Not only does this sweeten the cake, it also contributes to its moist texture.
• Eggs – These should also be at room temperature.
• Vanilla extract – You can swap in vanilla bean paste if you’d like, which will give you lovely flecks of vanilla bean in every bite.
• Buttermilk – Your buttermilk should be room temperature too!

For the Frosting:

• Cream cheese
• Unsalted butter – Both the cream cheese and the butter should be softened, which makes it easier to whip them up into a creamy, dreamy frosting.
• Powdered sugar
• Vanilla extract – Sift this if it seems a little lumpy in the bag.

Tips for Making the Best Banana Cake

Although I do love to doctor up a boxed cake mix, this is a recipe that’s simple to make from scratch. Here are a few extra pointers to make sure it turns out perfect!

• Measure the flour properly. Be sure to lightly spoon the flour into the measuring cup, rather than scooping it. Scooping compacts the flour, so you’ll end up using more than needed.
• Cream the butter and sugar until they’re fluffy. This helps the cake have a light, fluffy texture. Not only will the butter and sugar fluff up when it’s ready, it will also get lighter as more air is incorporated into it.
• Use store-bought buttermilk for best results. You probably know how to make homemade buttermilk, but the kind you buy at the store does yield better results. For a recipe like cake, I prefer buying it to making my own.
• Make sure the cake is completely cooled before you frost it. Otherwise, the frosting will melt right into the cake.

How to Store Banana Cake

Because this banana cake is topped with cream cheese frosting, it needs to be refrigerated. Wrap it in the baking pan or transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. You can also freeze this cake for up to 3 months; let it thaw in the refrigerator before serving.

More Easy Cake Recipes

• This Strawberry Jello Poke Cake is always a crowd-pleaser and it’s fun for kids to help make too!
• I love this old-fashioned Coconut Cake for birthdays and special occasions.
• You can never go wrong with this Homemade Chocolate Cake recipe.
• This pretty pink Strawberry Cake is perfect for strawberry lovers!