This super easy Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is moist and delicious with a hint of cinnamon throughout.
If you have loads of ripe bananas don’t forget to check out my One Bowl Chocolate Chip Banana Bread too! It’s a keeper!
I brought this delicious banana cake to a family party and it was a huge hit. Everyone went back for seconds!
Difference Between Banana Bread and Banana Cake?
So what exactly is the difference between banana bread and banana cake?
Banana bread is typically more dense and baked in a bread loaf pan with a more coarse crumb texture.
A Banana cake has more of a light and airy cake consistency, while still being really moist from the bananas. The texture of the crumb on a banana cake is also lighter and less dense.
Easy Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
The reason I decided to bake this cake in a large sheet pan is because of the cake to frosting ratio. I wanted the cake to be moist and tender, but not too thick.
Spreading the batter out into a sheet pan made the cake thinner, while still moist and the frosting on top was the perfect amount to give that added touch of sweetness.
Ingredients For Banana Cake:
Here’s the basic list of ingredients you’ll need in order to make this simple Banana Cake recipe. As always, you can find the full list of ingredients located in the recipe card below.
- Ripe Bananas
- All Purpose Flour
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Cinnamon
- Butter – unsalted
- Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- Eggs
- Buttermilk – don’t have it? Try making it with this simple hack!
How To Make Banana Cake
CREAM THE BUTTER To make this easy banana cake from scratch, start by creaming the butter in a bowl until it’s nice and fluffy, about 1 minute. Then add in the sugar and brown sugar and continue beating for an additional 2 minutes until it’s nice and combined.
Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
ADD WET INGREDIENTS Add the eggs one at a time, while continuing to beat in between. Then add in the mashed banana and vanilla extract.
ALTERNATE DRY INGREDIENTS Finally, alternate adding the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients with the buttermilk. Keep beating just until combined. Spread batter into a prepared sheet pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
Just a touch of cinnamon in the cream cheese frosting gives the whole cake a deliciously warm taste.
Here’s what you’ll need in order to make this creamy and luscious frosting…
- Cream Cheese – softened
- Butter – softened
- Vanilla Extract
- Salt
- Cinnamon
- Powdered Sugar
Place the butter and cream cheese in the bowl of your mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until creamy. Add in the vanilla, salt, cinnamon and powdered sugar and mix on low speed until combined, then increase speed and beat until fluffy.
Spread the icing completely over the cooled cake.
PRO TIP: Since this cake has cream cheese in the frosting it will need to be stored (covered) in the fridge.
What Size Cake Pan?
Like I mentioned earlier, we’re baking this banana cake in a sheet pan that is approximately 13″ x 18″. This is called a “Half Sheet” in the baking world.
I have this set from Amazon, which includes a sturdy lid, making it easy to bake the cake and then store it in the fridge.
Can I Use a 9×13 Pan?
With this recipe you’ll be better off using a sheet pan. If you don’t have a sheet pan and would prefer to use a standard cake pan, give this Banana Crumb Cake recipe a try!
More Ways To Use Ripe Bananas
If you have a plethora of ripe bananas to use up, I’ve got several more recipes for you to try out!
- Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Cranberry Banana Bread
- Banana Split Cake
- Chocolate Chip Banana Zucchini Bread
I can’t wait for you to give this Easy Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting a try! I know you’ll love it just as much as we do.
Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
For The Banana Cake
- 4 large ripe bananas, about 2 cups mashed
- 3½ cups all purpose flour
- 1¼ tsp baking powder
- 1¼ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1¼ cup sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1½ cups lowfat buttermilk
For The Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 3 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
For The Banana Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13"x18" sheet pan with non-stick spray and set aside.
- Mash the bananas in a bowl with a fork until smooth, then set aside.
- In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
- To the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter with a paddle attachment for about 1 minute, until it's nice and creamy. Add in the sugar and brown sugar and beat an additional 2 minutes until creamy. Add in the eggs one at a time, while still beating on low speed. Blend in the vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the mashed bananas to the wet ingredients and mix well. Finally, alternate adding in ⅓ of the flour mixture, then ⅓ of the buttermilk to the wet ingredients, beating well in between. Mixture will be slightly lumpy and that's ok.
- Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and set on a wire rack to cool completely.
For The Frosting:
- Beat together the cream cheese and butter until light and creamy. Add in the vanilla extract, cinnamon and salt and mix.
- Add the powdered sugar to the bowl and mix slowly until it's incorporated, then increase speed and beat for an additional 2 minutes until it's light and fluffy.
- Spread frosting evenly over the cooled cake. Cover and store cake in the fridge until ready to serve. Enjoy!
This was the absolute best banana cake to feed a crowd. Because I like a thicker layer of frosting I used twice the butter and cream cheese but powdered sugar as listed and thevfrosting turned out great. I mix my butter and powdered sugar first so that all the sugar gets coated in the butter before adding the cream cheese and it holds up beautifully. Such a great recipe. I will make it over and over. None left to refrigerate.
This cake is so delicious. Great way to use up bananas. I cut recipe in half
and bake in pound cake pan, since I live alone. Perfect!
Make this often. Very good.
Can you use regular milk if u dont have buttermilk?
This cake is so delicious! It is a big cake. Any way of halving this recipe? I’m looking at the eggs? Hmm. Thanks
To use half an egg, you would whisk it together and then just use half of the amount. So you could essentially make this in a smaller sheet pan and be just fine. 🙂
It was amazing 10 thumbs up very moist not too sweet had a very nice banana flavor it was really good.
Wanted homemade from scratch Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and was so happy to find this recipe. It was an easy peasy recipe. The hardest part is waiting for the cake to cool off enough to frost it. The icing turned out real thick so I added a little milk at a time until it thinned out a little. It’s a baking secret to add a splash of milk to icing that is too thick to spread. The icing is absolutely delicious and if the cake doesn’t cool off soon, I may need to make more icing. Lol
I wondered if this would still turn out good if I halved the recipe. Its just my husband and I and the sheet pan is way too much for us. Thank you.
You could definitely halve the recipe and make it in a smaller pan!
Can this be made in a bunt pan or 2, 8″pans for a layer cake?
I’m wondering the same..making this for my husband’s bday this weekend and would like to use 2 – 9 inch round cake pans for a layer cake?
You could divide the cake batter between the two round cake pans. Just make sure to test the middle with a toothpick to make sure it’s baked through.
Can you use frozen/defrosted bananas?
Yes, that should work just fine!