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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.
![A piece of banana cake on a plate with the remaining cake, a glass of milk and a banana in the background](https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Banana_Cake1.png)
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
- Prep for Baking: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 8-inch cake pans and set them aside.
- Cream Butter & Sugar: Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl.
- Add Eggs: Add the eggs and mix well.
- Add Flour & Baking Soda: Add the flour and baking soda. Mix until combined.
- Add Remaining Ingredients: Add the mashed bananas, sour milk and vanilla. Mix well.
- 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.
- 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
- Beat Shortening & Butter: Beat the shortening and butter until the mixture is smooth.
- Start Adding Powdered Sugar: Slowly add half of the powdered sugar. Mix until combined.
- Add Vanilla & Water: Mix in the vanilla extract and 3 tablespoons of filtered water.
- Finish Adding Powdered Sugar: Add the rest of the powdered sugar and mix until the batter is smooth.
- Adjust Consistency: Add more water only as needed to get the right consistency.
- Remove Domes: Carefully level off both cake layers with a sharp knife so that the tops and bottoms are nice and flat.
- Frost First Layer: Cover the top of the first layer of cake with icing.
- Add Second Layer: Place the other cake layer on top of the icing.
- 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.
PrintMoist Banana Cake
- Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield: 13
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
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.
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1/2 cup salted butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup mashed bananas (2–3 bananas)
- 1/4 cup sour milk (you can make sour milk by adding 2 tsp vinegar to milk and let it sit about 10 minutes)
- 1 tsp vanilla
For the Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup shortening
- 8 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3–5 tbsp water
Instructions
Make the Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 8-inch cake pans and set them aside.
- Cream butter and sugar together in a large bowl.
- Add eggs and mix well.
- Add flour and baking soda and mix until combined.
- Add bananas, milk and vanilla and mix well.
- Pour batter into prepared pans.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs.
- Cool in pan for 5-10 minutes, then remove to cooling rack to finish cooling.
Make the Frosting & Assemble
- Beat the shortening and butter until smooth.
- Slowly add half the powdered sugar. Mix until combined.
- Mix in the vanilla extract and 3 tbsp water.
- Add the rest of the powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Add more water to get the right consistency.
- Level both cakes so that they are flat on top and bottom.
- Cover the top of the bottom layer of cake with icing.
- Place the other cake on top of the icing.
- Using an offset spatula, fill in any gaps in the icing around the outside.
- Ice the outside of the cake with the remaining frosting and top with banana slices.
Notes
- Makes 12-14 slices.
- Recipe modified from Tidy Mom.
- To Store: Keep well covered in the fridge and enjoy within 3 days. Bring to room temperature before enjoying.
- To Freeze: Wrap unfrosted layers, entire cake or individual slices in a layer of plastic wrap and a layer of heavy-duty foil. Defrost within 3 months. Thaw in the fridge and bring to room temperature before serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice
- Calories: 683
- Sugar: 72.5 g
- Sodium: 113.4 mg
- Fat: 35.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 90.7 g
- Protein: 3.5 g
- Cholesterol: 79 mg
More Banana Desserts to Try
Hungry for more banana treats to make at home? Check out these easy recipes next!
I have a wonderful banana cake recipe that I’ve always used and everyone loves. However, my husband wanted to try a sour milk version and I found your recipe. I followed the directions exactly but yet it did not rise ? As I read through earlier comments I see this is a common occurrence.
I followed the recipe but my cake came out dense like a pudding. While in the oven, it didn’t really rise. It even shrank. Any ideas on how I can improve it?
I’m really not sure, it ca be really hard to say what happened from a distance.
can I top it with cheddar cheese?? thx 😀
Sure, if you would like to!
Mine didn t rise, but I did notice the recipe didn t call for any salt.
I made the banana cake today using the recipient from another post. The only difference was 1/4 cup less flour. The batter was stiff enough. I forgot the 1/4 teasp. Salt. They also added 1/2 teasp.cinammon. I also used canned chocolate frosting with neufachtel cheese. In place of sour milk, the recipe calls for 1/2 cup buttermilk. I read that cakes can turn out dry if they are over mixed and overbaked. Next time I am going to add a little honey and maybe a pudding mix as well as cake flour to get a true banana cake. I like the suggestion about roasting the bananas also.
This is my favorite cake on the planet. This is the identical recipe (the cake itself) as my Grandmother’s Banana cake recipe, which is close to 100 years old. Density of the cake is controlled by the amount of Bananas used. If you like a lighter cake go to 3/4 cup of Banana or if you like it moist and dense (Like a heavy banana bread) use 1 1/4 cups Bananas. The secret is to lightly brown the cake and to refrigerate it until it is completely cool, or your frosting will be soup or so loose the top will keep sliding. The frosting is different though. She used a simple cornstarch frosting which just took it to the next level. Butter cream frosting is good too, but cream cheese frosting competes with the cake instead of complimenting it. Being a man, I can mess up peanut butter and Jelly. But when I got married my Mom passed the torch of my annual Birthday cake to my wife. I can honestly say that her only flaw in life is her ability to make this cake, but she would tell you it was marrying me. So she passed the torch on to me. Guess I should have kept my mouth closed. Lol
I made the banana cake had good flavor ,but was very dense , althouth thebatter was fluffy i was disappointed. I made this for my son s birthday i know i followed the receipe ,i have been baking for years . will keep on looking
Can you use a sheet pan?
I’m sure you can, I just haven’t tried it with this recipe. Here’s a 9×13 banana cake recipe, if you’d like to try it.
I was just looking for a banana cake recipe and i end up with yours. It would be my first time and using the basic tools i have. I am glad i endes up here. ????
I hope you enjoy it!
when I made my last banana cake it turned out really dense more like a banana bread. im not sure what I did wrong. Also how much alteration for each ingredient If I want to make a 3 layer cake of this banana recipe.
Also I had just bought my bananas that day so they wasn’t overly ripe, but I mashed them up well. Will that affect anything??
To make three layers, just divide the batter between three pans. You’d need to reduce the baking time, but I’m not sure exactly what it’d be. Probably around 20 minutes.
Hi Lindsay. The cake turned out super moist.
However I used baking powder as I didn’t have any baking soda, and the cake wasn’t as fluffy as the one in your pictures. Turned out too dense. Could the baking powder be the reason?
Yes, baking soda and baking powder really aren’t interchangeable.
Hi, Lindsay.. I’m Novie from Indonesia..
Thank you so much.. I ‘m lucky to find your Soft and moist banana cake recipe Yes, it’s very soft,moist and delicious..’wanna practice your recipes to learn much more. Thank you, Lind.. GOD’s hand upon you..
To the author of this article—have you ever baked anything before? Or are you twelve years old? Just wondering because I am astounded that you are so inexperienced with baking practices, yet you are writing about it! And boy did you miss out by leaving the cream cheese out of the icing!
Well aren’t you a gem? For the record, I don’t know what recipe you’re looking at but this one doesn’t use cream cheese frosting so I didn’t leave anything out. Have a fantastic day!
I baked this today, I used one and a half of this recipe and added a tsp of baking powder to fill an 8×12 rectangular pan. It yielded an inch and a half tall of very delicious banana cake. I used a buttermilk substitute with low-fat milk because I ran out of just the regular ones, but it still turned out great. Soft and fluffy!
Instead of vanilla buttercream, I put a thin spread of cream cheese frosting at the top and it’s perfect!
I’ll make this my go-to banana cake recipe. Thank you for sharing!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Wowzers!!! I had some ‘perfect to bake with’ bananas and figured I would rather make a cake than throw them out so I decided to check your blog hoping I would find a recipe because really all your recipes I have tried are tested and trusted. This is the best banana cake ever! A banana cake cake not a banana cake ‘bread’
I’m a hobby baker and bake to earn some extra income and I must say that your RV n choc cake and vanilla cupcakes are the bomb. The few I have tried. I’m limited by ingredients now where I live but so excited about future trials because I’m moving to Europe and will have access to about any ingredient I need.
I must say that you inspire me a lot. You have found Gods purpose and plan for your life and I believe God that makes everything beautiful in his time will make all your desires come to be
I wish i could share to you a photo of what i just baked out from your recipe ????????????…just the perfect one ive been searching for so long for a moist banana cake recipe. Thank to you dearie ????
Hmm..look so yummy..What kind of shortening usually for make sugar icing in this recipe..?
I use vegetable shortening.