If you’re searching for the best banana cake recipe, your search is over. Not banana bread masquerading as cake—this is a soft, buttery, ultra-moist sheet cake loaded with real banana flavor and topped with silky cream cheese frosting.
I originally published this recipe in 2016 and have since added new photos and a few more success tips.
My Go-To, Never-Fail Banana Cake
This is my go-to banana cake when I have a bunch of overripe bananas sitting on the counter—and once you try it, you’ll understand why. It’s unbelievably soft and moist with a rich buttery crumb and plenty of bold banana flavor in every bite. We’re not making banana bread here—this is a true cake, tender and fluffy, topped with a thick layer of tangy cream cheese frosting that takes it over the top.
It’s simple enough for a casual bake, yet special enough for birthdays, gatherings, and holidays. One bite and you’ll understand why this is a reader favorite!
One reader, Paul, commented: “I have been baking for 15 years. I use nothing but the finest ingredients. This banana cake IS by far the best banana cake I have ever made or tasted!!! ★★★★★“
Another reader, Lorena, commented: “Words don’t do justice to what happens to your taste buds as they experience the first bite. The texture is perfectly moist, the flavor is exquisite. Hands down the best banana cake ever. It’s one of those recipes that you want to pass down as family heirlooms. ★★★★★“
Another reader, Jacqui, commented: “The title of this recipe definitely holds true… this is a keeper for sure! ★★★★★“
Another reader, Barb, commented: “My husband tried it and said that this was the best banana cake he’d ever had. I told him that was the name of the recipe! … We’d give it 10 stars if we could. Great recipe, Sally, thank you! ★★★★★“
Remember that time I told you about the best banana cake I’ve ever had? I enjoyed obsessed over it at a family reunion. My husband’s cousin made it and I stalked her down like a dessert creep and proceeded to talk her ear off about cream cheese frosting and spotty bananas for 35 minutes straight.
What? You don’t do that at parties?
It was the moistest cake I’ve ever eaten. Stick-to-the-back of your fork moist. The perfect cream cheese frosting, both sweet and tangy, sinking into the top of the cake made it even moister. Sweet, but not overpowering. Mega banana flavor, certainly more banana flavor than any banana bread I’ve ever eaten. Very buttery and cakey from creaming the butter and sugars. Just a ridiculously rich, decadent dessert.
The banana cake was dense, but not heavy. If that makes any sense? (Coming from the lady who talks about rotting bananas at social gatherings, but stick with me here.) The crumb was very soft, but they were tight crumbs. The cake didn’t fall apart when you took a forkful.
It was, hands down, the best banana cake I’ve ever had. And I haven’t stopped thinking about it since.
Start With Spotty Bananas
The recipe starts with 1 and 1/2 cups (345g) mashed bananas, or about 4 medium or 3 large ripe bananas. Now, make sure those bananas are nice and spotty. More brown spots = sweeter, more banana flavor. It’s what you want for banana bread, chocolate banana bread, and banana muffins, too. Your cake (and everyone who eats it) will thank you.
I simply mash the bananas in my mixer—the same mixer I use to make the rest of the batter. Beat the bananas on high speed for a minute, then transfer to another bowl. No need to wash the mixing bowl before you cream the butter and sugars.
Can I Use Frozen Bananas?
Yes and I do this often. Thaw the frozen bananas at room temperature. Drain off any excess liquid, mash, then use as instructed in the recipe below. See How to Freeze & Thaw Bananas for Baking.
Other Ingredients You Need:
- Flour: All-purpose flour creates the structure of this banana cake.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: For lift. Be sure they are fresh—expired leaveners will leave you with a dense, stodgy cake.
- Cinnamon & Salt: For flavor.
- Butter: Be sure to start with proper room-temperature butter.
- Sugar: You need both white granulated and brown sugar to sweeten this cake.
- Eggs: To bind everything together and add tenderness and lift.
- Vanilla: Essential for flavor in all banana desserts!
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk is the moist-maker in this cake. The cake wouldn’t be what it is without it! You also need the acid in buttermilk to help the baking soda do its job. If you don’t keep buttermilk on hand or can’t find it at the store, you can make this buttermilk substitute: measure 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar. Pour into a liquid measuring cup. Then add enough whole milk until it reaches 1 and 1/2 cups. Stir, let it sit for 5 minutes, and then it’s ready to be added to your batter.
Here’s the batter. There will be some lumps, and that’s fine!
You can use either a metal or glass 9×13-inch pan. I usually bake this cake in a glass pan, which works really well and bakes it evenly. If using glass, the bake time may be on the slightly longer end.
The Best Frosting for Banana Cake
This is the silkiest and smoothest cream cheese frosting I’ve ever tasted! It’s similar to the cream cheese frosting that we use for carrot cake, but the ratio of cream cheese to butter is different. For this banana cake, we’re using a 2:1 ratio of cream cheese to butter, instead of the carrot cake’s 4:1 ratio. So this makes the frosting a little firmer, silkier, and definitely more buttery!
There’s also a lot of cream cheese frosting. When you begin slathering it onto the cake, you’ll probably go “Sally, this is way too much frosting!” But it’s not. You want a nice thick layer. It’s essential.
If you love the flavor of brown butter, the brown butter cream cheese frosting from my zucchini cake would be fantastic here.
Not a fan of cream cheese frosting or just want to try something different?
More frosting flavors for banana cake:
This banana cake recipe is simple, reliable, and perfect for everything from casual baking days to celebrations, and I have a feeling it’ll earn a permanent spot in your recipe rotation. Just scroll through the many, many reviews below by home bakers who swear by this recipe for the best banana cake!
Other Banana Cake Sizes
- Layer Cake (Pictured Above): You can make this as either a 2-layer or 3-layer cake. For a 2-layer cake, divide the batter between two greased and lined 9-inch round pans and bake at 350°F (177°C) for 26–30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. For a 3-layer cake, divide the batter between three pans and bake for 22–26 minutes.
- Cupcakes: I’ve gotten a few questions about turning this cake into cupcakes. For about 2 dozen cupcakes, fill the cupcake liners halfway and bake for about 20–22 minutes. Same oven temperature. Or use this very similar banana cupcakes recipe.
- Bundt Cake: I recommend using my similar recipe for chocolate marble banana Bundt cake instead. (There’s a little extra baking powder for lift, which is helpful when baking in a large Bundt pan.) You can leave out the chocolate swirl in that recipe if you wish, and top with the cream cheese icing from this recipe for hummingbird Bundt cake.
The Best Banana Cake I’ve Ever Had
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 5 hours (includes cooling)
- Yield: serves 12
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Soft, buttery, and ultra-moist, this is truly the best banana cake. Made with ripe bananas and topped with tangy cream cheese frosting, it’s a longtime reader favorite.
Ingredients
Banana Cake
- 1 and 1/2 cups (345g) mashed bananas (about 4 medium or 3 large bananas)
- 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) buttermilk, at room temperature*
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces (226g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 cups (360g) confectioners’ sugar, plus an extra 1/4 cup if needed
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and grease a metal or glass 9×13-inch pan.
- Make the cake: Mash the bananas. I usually just use my mixer for this! Set mashed bananas aside.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and both sugars on medium-high speed until creamed together, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula as needed. Add the eggs and the vanilla. Beat on medium-high speed until combined, then beat in the mashed bananas. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer running on low speed, add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with the buttermilk and mixing each addition just until incorporated. Do not overmix. The batter will be slightly thick and a few lumps are OK.
- Spread batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 45–50 minutes. Baking times vary, so keep an eye on yours. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If you find the top of the cake is browning too quickly in the oven, loosely cover it with aluminum foil.
- Remove the cake from the oven and set on a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely. After about 45 minutes, I usually transfer it to the refrigerator to speed things up.
- Make the frosting: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on high speed until smooth and creamy. Add 3 cups confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and salt. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high speed and beat for 2 minutes. If you want the frosting a little thicker, add the extra 1/4 cup of confectioners sugar (I usually do). Spread the frosting on the cooled cake.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving. This helps sets the frosting and makes cutting easier.
- Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature before serving, if desired.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Prepare cake through step 6. Cover the cake tightly and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Bring to room temperature, make the frosting, frost, and serve. Frosted or unfrosted cake freezes well, up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, bring to room temperature, and then frost if needed and serve.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9×13-inch Pan (Metal Pan or Glass Pan) | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Cooling Rack | Icing Spatula
- Frozen Bananas: You can use frozen bananas here. Thaw the frozen bananas. Drain off any excess liquid, mash, then use as instructed in the recipe. See How to Freeze & Thaw Bananas for Baking.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk is required for this recipe. You can make your own DIY buttermilk substitute if needed. Add 1 Tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup. Then add enough room-temperature whole milk to the same measuring cup until it reaches 1 and 1/2 cups (360g/ml). (In a pinch, lower-fat or nondairy milks work for this soured milk, but the cake won’t taste as moist or rich.) Stir it and let sit for 5 minutes. The homemade “buttermilk” will be somewhat curdled and ready to use in the recipe.
- Cupcakes: For about 2 dozen cupcakes, fill the cupcake liners halfway and bake for about 20–22 minutes. Same oven temperature. Or use this very similar banana cupcakes recipe.
- Can I Turn This Into a Banana Bundt Cake? I recommend using my very similar recipe for chocolate marble banana Bundt cake instead. (There’s a little extra baking powder for lift, which is helpful when baking in a large Bundt pan.) You can leave out the chocolate swirl in that recipe if you wish, and top with the cream cheese icing from this recipe for hummingbird Bundt cake.
- Layer Cake: You can make this as either a 2-layer or 3-layer cake. For a 2-layer cake, divide the batter between two greased and lined 9-inch round pans and bake at 350°F (177°C) for 26–30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. For a 3-layer cake, divide the batter between three pans and bake for 22–26 minutes. I often like to pair the layer cake with this brown butter cream cheese frosting.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Very good. Rich, moist, and flavorful. My husband and I enjoyed this cake.
I didn’t really care for this recipe as was dryer and denser than the banana bread recipe I have tweaked. It is lighter and moister than this one was. I guess I should use my banana bread recipe and make enough to make a cake. Like I said I have tweaked it quite a bit
Made this today and my family really enjoyed it. Easy to make. I ran out of confectioner’s sugar so only made 2/3rd’s of the frosting but it was still plenty for the cake.
This came out exactly like described and shown in pictures. I could have used less sugar if making for adults, I made it for my kids. It was very sweet and the cheese frosting added more, but we all liked it. Thank you for the recipe.
Just WOW! In the past all of the banana cakes I’ve made have come out rather blah. This was the game changer. Absolutely DEEElicious/lightful.
SO DELICIOUS! This cake is exactly what I was looking for. I like banana bread, but its hard to get it light and moist. This is the perfect medium between a cake and a loaf, and it is moist with a perfect golden top! I split the recipe in half and used an 8×8 pan. This will be my new go-to recipe!
This cake is absolutely wonderful! I was getting tired of making banana bread with our ripened bananas and wanted something a little less dense and easier to eat. This cake was perfect. We skipped the cream cheese frosting and opted for a fluffy peanut butter frosting….turned out awesome!
Oh my goodness! This is hands down the BEST banana cake I’ve ever made and eaten. Thank you so much for such a perfect and delicious recipe!! I made this 3 times with my in laws and once for my cousins baby shower and it has always been a winner!
This is the best banana cake ever!!!!
My family loves it and gets many requests. I’m wondering if it can be made into a sheet cake?
Thanks so much!!!
An amazing recipe! What an awesome cake! Thanks so much!
I can’t thank you enough for this wonderful recipe!! I have celiac disease and made it with gluten-free flour. PERFECTION!!! The flavors are spot on and the cream cheese icing compliments the banana flavor perfectly. This will definitely be one of my favorite cakes.
I’ve made many banana cakes in the past, but this by far is the best! I split the recipe in half because I only had two bananas and I used a loaf pan. The cake was very moist and flavorful and airy. I didn’t have any frosting, but it still tasted amazing!
Very delicious and moist banana cake, my family really enjoyed it. Thank you
Amazing – so dense and moist. Truly is the best banana cake ever!
Oh my goodness this is was sooooo good. The best banana cake I have ever made. Thank you so much
This is absolutely fabulous I have made it 3×2 times is a cake and one time and cupcakes and it just went over so good I’ve got it in the oven now for tonight‘s get together at our church New Year’s Eve absolutely wonderful
My my my! Yeah! I’m a fan for this. I love banana cakes so I didn’t hesitate to try it out. My mom has had me make this cake to the point of no return.. Very delicious, moisture is perfectly melt in your mouth perfection LOVE IT..Now A favorite in my recipes.
I just use a glaze on it because the cake itself is sweet enough and moist enough to enjoy without the added frosting. I did try it both ways. It’s just so enjoyable that you don’t need all those xtra toppings and in my opinion you taste the wonderful bananas rather then frosting. Thanks for sharing
Lisa H.
I made this for the second time this week. I made it as a 9×13 the first time. I may have overcooked it but it seemed a little too heavy or dense. This time I made it in a 15×20 inch pan. I baked it at 325 for 17 minutes. I wish I’d rotated it in the middle to brown evenly.
I made a 3 layer cake out of the sheet cake. It is so so so good. Not dense in the least. I added an extra teaspoon of vanilla to frosting this time. Thanks for a great recipe!!
Elizabeth
WOW!!! This banana cake was delicious! It was so full of flavor and the cream cheese frosting was absolutely perfect! I knew I couldn’t go wrong with this recipe. I have found Sally’s baking addiction to have some of THE BEST recipes. Thank you for sharing this. My family LOVED it!
I made this last night and came out great! I skipped the frosting and did some alterations. Instead of buttermilk I mixed 1 3/4 tablespoons of vinegar into 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream. Instead of the 9 x 13 pan, I used two loaf-type pans around 7 x 3 in. I also added walnuts around the end.
Sooo, very good and moist!
Thanks for your awesome recipes!
Made this for the holidays and added 1 cup walnuts and half cup raisins. Eating it is addictive. Great recipe. Thanks!
Love the recipe but had to modify the sugar quantity and make it more diabetic friendly. I used half the amount of sweetener as I felt that 1.5 cups of sugar was excessive, especially as ripe bananas are quite sweet. I found that I needed to add more sugar. However with the cream cheese frosting sorted out the problem. Many thanks for excellent recipe!
Can you use King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten Free Flour in this recipe?
Hi Anne, we haven’t personally tested it, but many readers have reported success using 1:1 gluten free flours in our recipes. If you do give it a try, we’d love to know how it goes!
Hi Anne, I used gluten feee flour for this recipe and you would not know the difference. I use Bobs gluten free flour.
I have made this recipe twice now. The first time as a gift and I had to just trust it was wonderful. Just made it again for Christmas dinner dessert and added a cup of chopped walnuts and a cup of shredded coconut. Everyone loved it! You have become my go-to for new recipes and I have passed on your site to many others!
Even allowing for the tang of the buttermilk, this recipe is very very very sweet, especially if using very ripe or over ripe bananas (as most american baking recipes tend to be). Recommend non-americans halve the sugar as a starting point – around3/4 cup of 50/50 white & brown sugars in total seems to be about right, the icing will more than make up for any extra sweetness (at least halve the icing sugar in that as well but you may need to tinker with the consistency).
I only gave it a 4 stars because I also made the Banana cake with brown butter a few months back and between the two, I much preferred the latter. It’s a very hard one to beat and the entire family absolutely loved it. I have tried several recipes and they are all wonderful. Sally, you are my go-to baking recipes.
Well here’s a varied use of your delicious cake. I made a single layer chocolate cake that didn’t rise enough for me to slice it in half (birthday cake for two). Had overripe bananas, so whaala…1/2 choc, 1/2 banana cake cake. Chocolate filling and ganache to cover. Yum
Baked without the frosting but still amazingly good. This is so far the best recipe I tried and was a big success. I didnt use buttermilk but substituted it with regular milk and cream of tartar yet came out soooooo good. The whole family loved it.
Hi. I love your recipes. Can this recipe be made in a loaf pan? If so, how do I need to adjust the baking time? Thanks.
Hi Ann, This batter would fit into 2 9×5 inch loaf pans, yes. I’m unsure of the exact bake time, but you can use a toothpick to test for doneness.
I made this cake twice without frosting and I wanted and must tell you that it was yummilicious. thanks for the awesome recipie