Slice of banana cake on a small round white plate with a metal server behind and the rest of the cake on a bamboo board to the left all on a wooden surface (with logo overlay)

Elegant and Creamy Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

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Step up your cake baking with this amazing, delicious, and elegant banana cake recipe that is sure to impress everyone with the look and taste!

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When my youngest son, Ryan, asked me to have a banana party for his third birthday, I was at a loss for what to do for food. I have a few recipes I make with bananas, but nothing that would be good for a birthday cake. So, of course, I scoured the internet for ideas, while also trying to come up with my own. I found a recipe (here) that is called the Best Ever Banana Cake. I figured I would give it a shot. My cake was very similar to this, and it was a hit! Everyone loved the cake. I hadn’t even tried it before we served it for the party. I warned everyone that it was something new and no guarantees.

The original recipe says to bake it in a 9×13 baking pan, but I wanted a round cake for Ryan. So I did it a bit different than the directions. Either way, this cake was amazing.

If you plan to make a banana cake (and you totally should), you need to have a few hours to make it. The cake itself is easy to mix, but it has to bake for over an hour. Then, if you want to frost the cake, you need to let it cool entirely first, so the frosting doesn’t melt right off.

I made a cream cheese frosting for the cake. It works really well with the cake, and I just love cream cheese frosting! The cake stays very moist with the bananas in it and will last for a few days if refrigerated.

The recipe makes a lot of frosting. The first time I only used a little to hold the two layers together. But I ended up with a decent amount of leftover frosting. I would put more in the middle next time to get a nice layer of frosting.

I’ve found a trick to keep your serving plate clean. Cut up pieces of parchment paper and slide them slightly under the edges of the cake all the way around. Frost your cake. Once it’s done gently pull the pieces of parchment paper away. Your serving plate will be clean of stray frosting.

Banana Cake Step by Step

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp flour

Cake

  • 3 bananas (overripe)
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 12 tbsp butter (softened)
  • 2 1/8 cups granulated sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Frosting

  • 8 tbsp butter (softened)
  • 8 oz cream cheese (softened)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 275F. I thought this seemed low at first. But the cake stayed very moist since it was slow-cooked. Grease and flour your cake pans. I used two 9-inch round pans for my cake.

Two round metal cake pans that have been greased and floured on a wooden surface

Mash the bananas in a small bowl and mix in the lemon juice to keep them from turning brown.

Small stainless steel mixing bowl with mashed bananas and a fork inside on a wooden surface

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt and set that aside.

Stainless steel bowl with dry cake ingredients next to a stainless steel bowl with mashed bananas all on a wooden surface

Cream together butter and sugar in a large bowl using an electric mixer or a stand mixer.

Large stainless steel mixing bowl with creamed butter and sugar next to a stainless steel bowl with dry cake ingredients and another stainless steel bowl with mashed bananas all on a wooden surface

Add the eggs, one at a time, as well as the vanilla extract.

Large stainless steel mixing bowl with creamed butter and sugar with eggs next to a stainless steel bowl with dry cake ingredients and another stainless steel bowl with mashed bananas all on a wooden surface

Then beat in small amounts of the flour and buttermilk at a time, alternating between the two.

Large stainless steel mixing bowl with cake batter next to a stainless steel bowl mashed bananas all on a wooden surface

Add the mashed bananas.

Large stainless steel mixing bowl with banana cake batter next to two round cake pans that have been greased and floured all on a wooden surface

Pour the batter into your cake pan(s) and bake for at least one hour, until a toothpick comes out clean. My cakes took closer to an hour and a half until they were done, so make sure to keep a close eye on their progress.

Two round metal cake pans filled with banana cake batter sitting on a wooden surface

Remove the cakes from the oven and cool on a wire rack until they are completely cooled.

When you are ready to frost the cakes, combine the butter and cream cheese in a large bowl. Use an electric mixer or stand mixer to beat until they are smooth and creamy. Add in the vanilla extract.

Large mixing bowl with creamed butter and cream cheese on a wooden surface

Slowly add the powdered sugar to the bowl on low speed until it is all combined, then turn up the speed to mix until the frosting is smooth. If you want to add any color (I suggest yellow since it is a banana cake), then add it in before turning up the speed.

Large mixing bowl with cream cheese frosting on a wooden surface

Frost your cakes, putting some in between the layers if you made multiple cakes. Slice up enough bananas to go around the top. Last, I sprinkled the cake with some yellow sugar sprinkles. If you put color in the frosting, you probably don’t need the sprinkles as well.

Slice of banana cake on a small round white plate with a metal server behind and the rest of the cake on a bamboo board to the left all on a wooden surface (vertical)

Recipe

Originally Published On: March 21, 2018

Last Updated On: July 28, 2023

Slice of banana cake on a small round white plate with a metal server behind and the rest of the cake on a bamboo board to the left all on a wooden surface

Elegant and Creamy Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Step up your cake baking with this amazing, delicious, and elegant banana cake recipe that is sure to impress everyone with the look and taste!
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Course:
Dessert
Cuisine:
American
Keyword:
banana
|
cake
|
frosting
Servings: 12 pieces
5 from 7 votes

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp flour
Cake
  • 3 bananas (overripe)
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 12 tbsp butter (softened)
  • 2 1/8 cups granulated sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
Frosting
  • 8 tbsp butter (softened)
  • 8 oz cream cheese (softened)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Recommended Equipment

Instructions

Cake
  • Preheat the oven to 275F
  • Grease and flour your cake pan(s)
  • Mash the bananas in a small bowl and mix with lemon juice
  • Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside
  • In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy using an electric mixer or stand mixer
  • Add in the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla extract
  • Mix in the flour and buttermilk, a little at a time, alternating between the two
  • Stir in the mashed bananas
  • Pour the batter into the cake pan(s) and bake for about one hour, until a toothpick comes out clean (cook time will vary based on the size of the cake pan used)
  • Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack
Frosting
  • When the cakes are completely cool and ready to frost, cream butter and cream cheese together with an electric mixer or stand mixer
  • Beat in the vanilla extract
  • Slowly add the powdered sugar while mixing on low speed
  • Set the mixer to high speed and mix until the frosting is smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed
  • Frost the cake as desired
  • Decorate with extra sliced bananas and sprinkles if desired
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Nutrition Facts
Elegant and Creamy Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Amount Per Serving (1 piece)
Calories 687 Calories from Fat 252
% Daily Value*
Fat 28g43%
Saturated Fat 17g85%
Cholesterol 115mg38%
Sodium 462mg19%
Potassium 224mg6%
Carbohydrates 104g35%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 76g84%
Protein 7g14%
Vitamin A 965IU19%
Vitamin C 3mg4%
Calcium 71mg7%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.

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32 thoughts on “Elegant and Creamy Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting”

  1. Rose

    I have never had banana cake before but I like the bread so I’m sure this would be delicious too. I also tend to skip making the frosting but with the cream cheese in this it is pretty tempting.

    Reply
    1. Stephanie

      It really isn’t much harder than making any other cake! I only make it look so pretty because it was for a party. But if you’re making it for yourself, then it would be even easier since I wouldn’t worry about getting the frosting on so smoothly.

      Reply
    1. Stephanie

      I was surprised at just how yummy the cake was! He really enjoyed it and still talks about his banana party even as we are starting to plan his 5th birthday party now!!

      Reply
  6. Stephanie

    5 stars
    banana cakes are my favorite! Love that this recipe yields a moist cake because that’s how I like it:) Oh and that cream cheese frosting is the perfect combo!

    Reply
  11. Holly

    5 stars
    This is the most delicious looking banana cake I’ve ever seen! I always feel like banana breads and cakes taste better than they look…but this cake LOOKS sooooo delicious too!

    Reply
  12. Karen Monica

    5 stars
    I love banana cakes and I must say that the cake looks delicious. I have never tried it with cream cheese frosting. But after looking at this recipe, I am craving for a slice.

    Reply
    1. Stephanie

      Oh man, you definitely need to try the cream cheese frosting on it! I may be a bit biased because cream cheese frosting is my favorite, but it adds so much to the cake.

      Reply

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