Smothered with brown sugar frosting, this Easy Banana Cake is the ultimate treat. With just one bowl and a mixer needed, truly anyone can make this decadent cake!
An Easy & Moist Cake
This moist banana cake will quickly become your absolute favorite banana recipe. With a decadent (but easy!) brown sugar frosting, it's the ultimate treat and so crazy easy to make!
It's no secret that I adore baking with bananas. Not only are they my favorite fruit, adding them to baked goods will make them super moist!
Banana zucchini muffins, banana pudding cupcakes, banoffee pie, and banana Nutella cupcakes are just a few of my favorite banana recipes I've tried. This cake was inspired by the banana cupcakes - the cupcakes were so good, I thought I'd try a cake version as well!
It was a great idea because this banana cake is the dreamiest!
This cake is so moist. And the brown sugar frosting, OH MY HEAVENS, it's delightful. I love the caramel-y flavor of the frosting. It complements the cake so well.
I promise this is the butteriest, richest, and most tender banana cake you'll ever try. Not to mention, it's super flavorful.
If you like banana bread, you'll love this cake. It resembles banana bread in a sense but it isn't quite as dense. It's soft but not crumbly.
What You'll Need
Let's break down all the ingredients you need for today's cake and, of course, the brown sugar frosting! (It's technically optional but you'd be crazy to skip it!)
- Butter - Use room temperature unsalted butter. I prefer sweet cream butter because it tastes the best in baked goods.
- Sugar - Granulated sugar is what I used but you could use brown sugar also or a combination of both. Coconut sugar would also be great.
- Eggs - Whole eggs are used for binding.
- Vanilla extract - Use high-quality pure vanilla for the best results.
- Banana - You need 4 large bananas. Make sure the skins are super spotty. This means they are perfect for baking.
- Plain Greek yogurt - The cake came out with the best texture when Greek yogurt was used. You could also use regular yogurt or sour cream.
- Cake flour - Cake flour will give you the best texture. All-purpose isn't recommended.
- Leavening - Baking powder and baking soda are both used to give the cake rise.
- Salt & cinnamon - A little salt and ground cinnamon are added to enhance the flavor of the cake.
To bake this cake you need:
- Mixer - You really only need a hand mixer but and a stand mixer will make the process even easier.
- Food processor - I like to use this food processor to puree the bananas.
- Baking pan - Through testing this recipe, I found that a ceramic or glass baking pan works the best. The cake won't rise as tall in a nonstick pan.
- Sifter - I prefer to use a fine-mesh sieve but a sifter will work also.
How To Make Banana Cake
It’s super easy to make this moist cake. The recipe comes together quickly and the cake bakes up tall and fluffy.
Beat the wet ingredients. Beat on the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add the eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla extract, followed by the pureed banana and yogurt.
Add the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to a sifter and sift into the banana mixture. Mix until just incorporated.
Bake. Transfer the batter to the pan. Bake for 25-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan.
Make the frosting. Melt the butter over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and heavy cream, then bring to a boil. Let it bubble for 3 minutes, whisking constantly. Remove from heat, pour into a bowl and beat until room temperature. Gradually add in the confectioner's sugar and remaining heavy cream. Spread over the cooled cake and refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.
Are Banana Bread and Banana Cake The Same?
The difference between my banana cake and banana bread is the type of flour and leavening used. For the banana cake, I use cake flour with baking powder and baking soda. For banana bread, I use all-purpose flour and only baking soda.
Tips for Success
To ensure the best banana cake you can possibly make, you'll just want to keep these tips in mind.
- Properly preheat the oven. It’s important to have the oven preheated for at least 30 minutes before making the cake.
- Bring ingredients to room temperature. Before mixing and baking, all ingredients in this recipe should be room temperature.
- Allow to cool before adding frosting. The cake should be at room temperature before adding the frosting.
Serving Suggestions
You can serve your banana cake straight from the fridge or at room temperature, though you should always pop it in the fridge for 30 minutes after frosting.
I also like to top my cake with fresh slices of banana just before serving. Since the cake is so rich with frosting, small pieces are ideal - making this perfect for serving a crowd!
How to Store
Due to the frosting, this cake should be stored in the fridge. Keep it tightly covered and it will last for up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Can I Freeze This?
Yes, you can freeze banana cake, with or without the frosting. Either way, it should cool completely and then be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and foil. Thaw overnight in the fridge and bring to room temperature before serving.
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Easy Banana Cake
Smothered with brown sugar frosting, this Easy Banana Cake is the ultimate treat. With just one bowl and a mixer needed, truly anyone can make this decadent cake!
Ingredients
For the cake
- ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups (300 g) pureed ripe banana, about 4 large bananas
- 1 cup (227 g) plain Greek yogurt, room temperature
- 3 cups (360 g) cake flour, sifted
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the frosting
- ½ cup (114 g) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (220 g) light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup (60 ml) heavy cream, plus 2-3 tablespoons, divided
- 2 cups (240 g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease and flour a 9x13-inch pan; set aside.
Make the cake
- In a large bowl, combine the butter and sugar; beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time; beat for 20 seconds after each addition.
- Beat in the vanilla extract on low speed until combined, followed by the pureed banana and yogurt.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon to a sifter and sift into the banana mixture. Mix on low speed just until incorporated. Do not over mix.
- Spread batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Bake times can vary so watch closely. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Make the frosting
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, add the brown sugar and heavy cream. Bring to a low boil and let bubble for about 3 minutes, whisking constantly, until sugar is fully dissolved. Remove from heat, pour into a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Turn the mixer on low and beat until the mixture reaches room temperature.
- Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar and 2-3 tablespoons of heavy cream until the frosting reaches a spreadable consistency. Spread over the cooled cake and refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
Bananas: It's best to puree the banana in a food processor. You can mash the banana with a fork but keep in mind this will leave chunks of banana through the cake.
Yogurt: If you don't have greek yogurt, sour cream can be used instead.
Cake flour: It's important to use cake flour. I don't recommend substituting with any other flour!
Frosting: The frosting is very sweet. If you are not a fan of super sweet frostings, try my cream cheese frosting instead.
Make ahead tip
- The cake will keep for up to 5 days covered tightly and stored in the refrigerator.
- Tightly cover the unfrosted cake and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before frosting.
- Frosted cake can be covered tightly and stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1 sliceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 282Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gCholesterol: 50mgSodium: 136mgCarbohydrates: 42gFiber: 1gSugar: 29gProtein: 4g
The nutrition information provided is for convenience and as a courtesy only. It is not guaranteed to be accurate because nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator and input the exact ingredients you used in the recipe.
Manda
Thursday 6th of August 2020
If I switch to sour cream instead of Greek Yogurt, would it be maintained the same weight in your recipe for Greek Yogurt? And if I were to make smaller portion, can i cut the weight of all ingredients by 50%? Thanks a bunch!
Jen Sobjack
Friday 7th of August 2020
Yes, keep the measurements the same. Halving the recipe shouldn't be an issue but I've not halved this recipe before.
Rita
Monday 8th of June 2020
Can I bake this banana cake in a Bundt pan --or 2 round pans?
Jen Sobjack
Tuesday 9th of June 2020
This recipe yields a lot of batter and I'm afraid it may not all fit in the pans you wish to use.
Agnes
Sunday 12th of January 2020
The cake turned out well with good texture and flavor! I think the cake flour and food processed bananas made the difference and would make this recipe again. My family said it tasted salty. I’m wondering if I should next time cut salt back to 1/2 teaspoon? Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Jen Sobjack
Monday 13th of January 2020
If your tastebuds are sensitive to salt, you can always adjust it.
John
Tuesday 17th of December 2019
Delicious cake, my favorite cake ever.
Pam
Saturday 24th of August 2019
This was delicious! I love the cake/frosting combination. I made it as a half sheet cake and it was perfect. The recipe directions were a little confusing, probably due to the updates. The directions say to cream butter and both sugars, but there was only one, and says to add buttermilk, but there isn’t any listed in the ingredients.
Jen Sobjack
Sunday 25th of August 2019
I'm so happy you enjoyed the cake! We switched recipe formats and the updated didn't transfer over. The recipe has been corrected.