Moist Banana Cake

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This super easy Banana Cake is incredibly soft and moist! Paired with a simple vanilla buttercream frosting and topped with fresh banana slices, you’ll instantly fall in love with this feel-good dessert.

Soft & Moist Banana Cake with Vanilla Buttercream

This supremely soft layer cake makes me want to add bananas to all of my cakes going forward! The texture is unreal. It has the perfect ratio of cake to frosting, and you get plenty of banana flavor in every bite.

I spent a long time searching for a banana cake that didn’t just taste like banana bread with frosting, but I ended up having to create my own. The other banana cakes I tried were either too heavy on the texture or too light in the flavor department. This simple cake is delicate, fluffy, moist, and absolutely packed with bananas! It’s exactly what I was longing for and more.

What You’ll Need

This recipe has a short and sweet list of ingredients, from the tender cake to the creamy frosting. Just gather up the following kitchen staples!

For the Banana Cake

• Butter: Salted.
• Sugar
• Eggs: To bind the ingredients together.
• Flour: Use all-purpose flour, not self-rising flour.
• Baking Soda: Not to be confused with baking powder.
• Mashed Bananas: The bananas should be nice and ripe with plenty of brown spots on the peels.
• Sour Milk: If you don’t want to wait for your milk to sour, you can use fresh milk and sour it yourself by stirring in 2 teaspoons of vinegar and letting the mixture sit for about 10 minutes.
• Vanilla Extract: To enhance the banana flavor even more.

For the Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

• Butter: Salted or unsalted – up to you.
• Shortening: Using shortening in addition to butter creates a wonderfully light and fluffy frosting.
• Powdered Sugar: For structure and stability.
• Vanilla Extract
• Water: To bring the frosting to the proper consistnecy.

Can I Speed Up the Ripening Process?

Waiting for your bananas to ripen can be a pain, but there’s an easy way to make it happen faster! Simply place the bananas into a paper bag with additional fruits that ripen after they’re picked like peaches, plums or kiwi.

These fruits release something known as ethylene, and if you keep them in a paper bag, the ethylene builds up and causes them to ripen more quickly. You want the bananas to be nice and browned – not only do they get easier to mash up, but they also become sweeter and more flavorful!

How to Make the Best Banana Cake

You won’t believe how easy this cake is! The batter comes together in just one bowl, and the frosting is made in minutes.

Make the Cake

1. Prep for Baking: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 8-inch cake pans and set them aside.
2. Cream Butter & Sugar: Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl.
3. Add Eggs: Add the eggs and mix well.
4. Add Flour & Baking Soda: Add the flour and baking soda. Mix until combined.
5. Add Remaining Ingredients: Add the mashed bananas, sour milk and vanilla. Mix well.
6. Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake the cake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs.
7. Let Cool: Cool your cake layers in the pans for 5-10 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

Make the Frosting & Assemble

1. Beat Shortening & Butter: Beat the shortening and butter until the mixture is smooth.
2. Start Adding Powdered Sugar: Slowly add half of the powdered sugar. Mix until combined.
3. Add Vanilla & Water: Mix in the vanilla extract and 3 tablespoons of filtered water.
4. Finish Adding Powdered Sugar: Add the rest of the powdered sugar and mix until the batter is smooth.
5. Adjust Consistency: Add more water only as needed to get the right consistency.
6. Remove Domes: Carefully level off both cake layers with a sharp knife so that the tops and bottoms are nice and flat.
7. Frost First Layer: Cover the top of the first layer of cake with icing.
8. Add Second Layer: Place the other cake layer on top of the icing.
9. Add Remaining Frosting: Use an offset spatula to fill in any gaps in the icing around the outside of the cake. Top the cake with the remaining frosting and a pile of banana slices.

Tips for Success

The tips and tricks below will help you make a banana cake like none other. Happy baking!

• Use Sour Milk: Don’t be afraid to use milk that’s gone sour for baked goods like this cake – it adds fluffiness and tang, and the heat of the oven eliminates any bacteria that may be present. In a pinch, you can add 2 teaspoons of vinegar to fresh milk and let it sit for 10 minutes.
• Flatten the Cake Layers: This cake rises beautifully and therefore develops domes that aren’t ideal for stacking. I recommend slicing off the domes so you have flat surfaces for building your cake.
• Grease the Pans Well: Make sure you grease your cake pans generously in order to remove your layers with ease. You can also line the bottoms with a circle of parchment paper and grease the sides if preffered.
• Let the Cake Layers Cool: If you try to assemble your cake before the layers have fully cooled, they could break and may melt the frosting. Wait until they’ve cooled completely for the best results.

Variation Ideas

I know you’re already itching for a helping of this cake, but I have a few potential alterations that might interest you. Go ahead and make the dessert of your dreams!

• Banana Nut Cake: Try adding toasted nuts to your cake if you’re craving some crunch. Pecans and walnuts both go great with the banana flavor!
• Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting: I usually go for a classic vanilla buttercream since I like to let the banana flavor shine, but Cream Cheese Frosting tastes amazing on this cake as well.
• Chocolate Chip Banana Cake: Feel free to fold your favorite chocolate chips into this cake batter if you’d like. You can add even more chocolate by frosting it with this Chocolate Buttercream!
• Banana Coconut Cake: I’m a huge fan of incorporating toasted coconut into my banana cake batter. I encourage you to try it if you enjoy coconut flavor. And maybe sprinkle some above the first layer of frosting while you’re at it!

How to Store Homemade Banana Cake

This cake will stay fresh for up to 3 days in the fridge. Keep it well covered and bring it to room temperature before enjoying it.

Can I Freeze This?

You can freeze your banana cake by wrapping the whole thing or individual slices in a layer of plastic wrap followed by a layer of heavy-duty foil. It will last for up to 3 months in the freezer, whether it’s frosted or unfrosted. Thaw it out in the fridge and let it come to room temperature before digging in.

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More Banana Desserts to Try

Hungry for more banana treats to make at home? Check out these easy recipes next!

• Banana Oatmeal Cookies
• Banana Pudding
• Banoffee Cupcakes
• One Ingredient Banana Ice Cream