Moist, flavorful, and topped with a thick layer of cream cheese frosting, this banana cake recipe is an easy way to deliver a bakery-style dessert right at home using ripe bananas!

Easy banana cake with cream cheese frosting served in generous squares, topped with fresh banana and surrounded by ripe bananas.

This post may contain affiliate links. Read disclosure policy.

Best Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

I promise you don’t have to love bananas to love this banana cake with cream cheese frosting. Similar to banana bread brownies and banana bars it certainly is a shout-out to the banana lovers out there!

This simple, moist cake is made with ripe bananas, brown sugar, cinnamon, basic baking staples, and the secret ingredient, buttermilk. This is what keeps the cake crumb nice and moist, while delivering the best flavor!

Why You’ll Love This Easy Recipe

  • Banana flavor really shines through in this dessert.
  • It’s a great way to use up your overripe bananas!

Ingredients Notes

Ingredients for easy banana cake recipe including ripe bananas, flour, butter, cinnamon, eggs, cream cheese, and sugar arranged on a white counter.

Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.

  • Mashed bananas: The riper they are, the easier they are to mash, and the sweeter they are.
  • Buttermilk: I have a recipe for a quick and simple buttermilk substitute if you need one!
  • Sugars: The combination of white and brown sugar gives it a nice balance. The addition of brown sugar provides added flavor and moisture.
  • Baking staples: You’ll also need all-purpose flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, salted butter, and eggs.
  • Cream cheese frosting: Softened butter and cream cheese, vanilla extract, and confectioners’ sugar.

How to Make Banana Cake

In a medium bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together and set that aside.

In a separate large bowl, cream the wet ingredients, including the mashed bananas, but excluding the buttermilk.

Creaming butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a glass bowl with a hand mixer to start the best banana cake batter.
Mashed bananas and vanilla extract being added to creamed butter and sugar.

Then, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, alternating with the buttermilk. Mix until fully incorporated.

Pour the cake batter into a prepared 9×13 cake pan.

Image 3 (adding dry ingredients): Dry ingredients being added to wet banana cake batter in a bowl with an electric mixer.
Cake batter evenly spread into a greased baking pan, ready to go in the oven.

Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 45 minutes.

Allow it to cool on a wire cooling rack completely before adding the frosting.

Freshly baked banana cake in a pan with a golden-brown top, showing a soft and moist texture.
Cream cheese frosting being spread over the cooled banana cake with a spatula.

Recipe Tips

  • Allow enough time for the butter and cream cheese to soften at room temperature, about 40 minutes before you begin.
  • Overripe bananas are great. You’ll know they’re nice and sweet by the brown spots on the peel.
  • If you’ve got frozen bananas you want to use, go for it! Thaw them first, then get rid of any excess water. These will mash easily.
  • Stir in some nuts like chopped walnuts or pecans for crunch or chocolate chips for a fun mix-in.
Banana cake with cream cheese frosting freshly sliced in the pan, revealing its soft, tender crumb and creamy topping.

Try these other banana recipes including banana nut bread, cinnamon roll banana bread and easy banana bread!

More Banana Recipes

See all
See all
Easy banana cake with cream cheese frosting served in generous squares, topped with fresh banana and surrounded by ripe bananas.

Banana Cake

5 from 1 vote
Recipe by: Jamielyn Nye
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 18
Moist, flavorful, and topped with a thick layer of cream cheese frosting, this banana cake recipe is an easy way to deliver a bakery-style dessert right at home using ripe bananas!
Print Pin This! Rate

Video

Ingredients 

Cake

  • 1 ⅓ cups (275 g) mashed bananas , about 3 bananas
  • 3 cups (415 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
  • ½ cup (100 g) brown sugar
  • ¾ cup (170 g) salted butter
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cups buttermilk

Frosting

  • ½ cup salted butter , softened
  • 1 8 ounce package cream cheese , softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 ½ cups confectioners sugar

Instructions

  • Preheat and prepare: Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9×13 inch cake pan.
  • Whisk dry ingredients: In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together 3 cups flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
  • Cream wet ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, cream together 3/4 cup butter, 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar for 4-5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add 3 eggs, one at a time, and then mix in 2 teaspoons vanilla and the mashed bananas.
  • Alternate flour and buttermilk: Mix in half the buttermilk, then half the flour mixture, alternating until they are all incorporated.
  • Bake: Pour batter in the cake pan and bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
  • Cool: Cool completely before frosting,
  • Make frosting: In a medium sized mixing bowl, cream 1/2 cup butter and 1 package cream cheese. Add vanilla. Using a hand mixer, beat in the 3 1/2 cups of powdered sugar. Beat until smooth.
  • Spread frosting: Spread frosting on cooled cake and serve!

Last step: Please leave a comment and rating after you make the recipe.

Notes

Variation: Add mix-ins such as chopped walnuts, pecans or chocolate chips.
Storage: Store in a covered container in the refrigerator 3-5 days. 

Nutrition

Calories: 454kcal, Carbohydrates: 75g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 64mg, Sodium: 295mg, Potassium: 157mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 42g, Vitamin A: 489IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 44mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.

Substitutions and Variations

  • Different frosting. This homemade banana cake recipe is so versatile; it works with all sorts of frosting flavors. You could try it with caramel cream cheese frosting, brown butter frosting, peanut butter frosting, and coconut pecan frosting.
  • Make smaller cake loaves. You can make about 2 loaves using a loaf pan. You may have a bit of batter leftover, in which case you can discard it or use it to make a mini loaf or a few muffins.
  • Cupcakes. Alternately, make cupcakes! Adjust baking time to 18-22 minutes and after cooling, pipe on frosting.

Recipe FAQs

How to store leftover banana bread cake?

Keep leftovers in the refrigerator, covered in an airtight container, for up to 5 days.

Can I freeze this cake?

Banana cake freezes nicely for up to 3 months with frosting or without. Wrap the slices with plastic wrap, then store them in a freezer bag. Thaw in the fridge overnight and then bring the cake to room temperature just before serving.

If you’re making it ahead, you can freeze it without the frosting and add the frosting once the cake has thawed.