This easy banana cake is one of the best you’ll try: incredibly moist, full of banana flavor with a hint of cinnamon, and finished with a generous layer of cream cheese frosting. Made in a 9×13 inch pan, this recipe consistently gets rave reviews.
This post was updated March 30, 2025 with new photos, slightly refined instructions and helpful recipe tips.
If you have several ripe, brown bananas on the counter, skip banana bread and make this banana cake instead. It’s tender and moist, with a slightly dense yet soft crumb. Brown sugar, vanilla and cinnamon enhance the banana flavor without overwhelming it.
The cake is finished with a thick cream cheese frosting whose tang balances the cake’s sweetness. The result is not overly sweet, just comforting and flavorful.
Banana Cake Recipe
This recipe is straightforward. Photos and tips are included below; find the full recipe and ingredient list in the recipe block.
- Prep. Grease and lightly flour a 9×13 inch pan. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Sour the milk. Whisk together milk and lemon juice to make a quick buttermilk—this keeps the cake soft without needing store-bought buttermilk.
- Whisk dry ingredients. Combine the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Cream butter and sugars. Beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. This aerates the batter and gives more flavor than oil.
- Add eggs and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time to the butter mixture, scraping the bowl after each addition to ensure even mixing.
- Beat in bananas. Remove any bruised spots before mashing. A few small lumps of banana in the batter are fine.
- Combine dry ingredients and milk with the butter mixture. Add the dry ingredients and milk in alternating additions, starting and ending with the dry ingredients: about 1/3 dry, half the milk, 1/3 dry, remaining milk, then final 1/3 dry. Mix until just combined; avoid overmixing.
- Bake. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake 40–50 minutes. The cake should be golden, starting to pull from the pan edges, and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean or with a few crumbs. If unsure, bake a few extra minutes—this cake rarely dries out.
Once cooled, the cake is covered with a thick cream cheese frosting. Use slightly softened, full-fat cream cheese and butter; sift the powdered sugar to prevent lumps. The frosting should be smooth, tangy and easy to spread.
Tips for Making this Banana Cake
- Use very ripe, spotty bananas for the best flavor and moisture.
- Bring butter, eggs and milk to room temperature so the batter mixes evenly and you avoid overmixing.
- Measure flour correctly. Whisk the flour, spoon it into a dry measuring cup and level it off. For best accuracy, weigh in grams.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Overmixing develops gluten and makes the cake tough.
- Choose full‑fat, block-style cream cheese for a thicker, creamier frosting.
The Best Banana Cake
Equipment
- 9×13 inch (23 x 33 cm) baking pan
Ingredients
Banana Cake
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 1/2 cups milk (360 ml), whole milk preferred, room temperature
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (375 g)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter (168 g), softened
- 1 cup white sugar (200 g)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar (105 g), light or dark
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 3–4 medium ripe bananas)
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (112 g), softened but slightly firm
- 8 oz cream cheese (226 g), softened but slightly firm
- 3–4 cups sifted powdered sugar (330–440 g), adjust to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon whipping cream, if needed
Instructions
Banana Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease and flour a 9×13 inch pan.
- Combine lemon juice and milk to the 1 1/2 cup mark; whisk and set aside to sour.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
- Add vanilla, then add eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl after each addition.
- Trim any bruises from the bananas, mash, and mix into the butter mixture. Small banana lumps are fine.
- Alternate adding the flour mixture and milk to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix until just combined—avoid overmixing.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake 40–50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean and the cake pulls away from the sides.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Beat the butter until fluffy, then beat in the cream cheese until smooth.
- On low speed, beat in the salt and 2 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar.
- Add the remaining powdered sugar a little at a time until you reach the desired sweetness and thickness. If needed, add 1 tablespoon whipping cream to adjust consistency.
- Frost the cooled cake and slice with a thin, sharp knife.
Notes
- Flour: Measure carefully to avoid a dry cake—whisk, spoon into the cup and level, or weigh in grams for accuracy.
- Room temperature: Butter, eggs and milk should be at room temperature for even mixing.
- Bananas: Use spotty bananas and remove bruised bits. Measure mashed bananas for accuracy.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the fridge up to 4 days.
- Freezing: Unfrosted cake freezes up to 2 months; thaw in the fridge and bring to room temperature before serving.
- Nutrition: Values are estimates per slice assuming 15 even slices.