Favorite Banana Cake Recipe

Here it is! Some sweet mamas have been asking me how to turn my naturally-sweetened banana bread into a cake for their little ones’ birthdays. It took me several tries to get it just right, but today, I’m introducing you to the best banana cake on the internet. Bold statement? Let me back it up. This banana cake is fluffy, moist, tender and infused with banana flavor. It’s absolutely delicious on its own (it was adapted from banana bread, after all), but I couldn’t resist topping it with my favorite cream cheese frosting. I love this cake so much that it knocked my favorite local bakery’s chocolate cake down to second place.

I made this cake as a single layer for a zero-fuss, foolproof cake. It’s truly so easy to make. I whisked together the batter by hand, and whipped up the frosting with my hand mixer once the cake had cooled. You can make this cake in a square baker if you’re serving up to nine people, or double it for a party. It also makes a great layer cake or cupcakes. See the final recipe notes for details.

Banana Cake Frosting Considerations

No one will guess, but this cake is actually naturally sweetened with honey or maple syrup, and made entirely with whole grain flour. So, it’s more nutritiously redeeming than your average banana cake, although I’m not sure anything qualifies as “healthy” once it’s topped with cream cheese frosting. My thoughts here? Special occasions call for special treats, and I really love homemade cream cheese frosting. It’s definitely better than store-bought tubs of frosting, which are full of processed ingredients and preservatives. Did you know that you can make your own powdered sugar out of organic cane sugar? That’s what I did for this cake. If you’re interested in naturally-sweetened cream cheese frosting, you’re in luck, because I have a date-sweetened cream cheese frosting recipe here. You could also check out the coconut and pecan frosting on the German chocolate cake in my cookbook (page 212). Or, spread slices of cake with almond butter and a drizzle of honey or maple syrup. If you’re interested, here are the nutrition facts for the cake without frosting.

Watch How to Make Banana Cake

Banana Cake Flour Notes

To make this whole-grain cake fluffy and tender, I switched from whole wheat flour (too dense) to a mix of white whole wheat flour and whole wheat pastry flour (both are 100% whole wheat but made with white wheat berries, so they’re lighter in flavor and texture). Look for those flours at a well-stocked grocery store, either in the bakery or health section. Trader Joe’s sells white whole wheat flour. You can substitute all-purpose flour for the pastry flour if you can’t find it. Actually, you could make this cake entirely with all-purpose flour, if that’s all you have on hand.

Tip: How to Measure Flour

For best results, it’s important to measure your flour properly. Here’s how to measure flour in cups using the “spoon and swoop” method:

Banana Pro Tip

Overripe bananas make the best banana cake. If your bananas are underripe, you can actually speed-ripen them in the oven! Here’s how: Preheat the oven 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean-up. Separate the bananas and bake them, unpeeled, on a baking sheet for 15 to 30 minutes, until they’re black on the outside and very tender inside. Let them cool before handling.

I can’t wait to hear how this cake turns out for you! I hope it’s a big hit at your next celebration. Please let me know how it turns out in the comments, and share a photo on Instagram with the hashtag #cookieandkate. Craving more banana-flavored baked goods? Check out my banana bread, banana muffins, banana nut scones, and banana oat waffles. View all of my banana recipes here.

⅓ cup melted coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil or high quality vegetable oil* ½ cup honey or maple syrup 2 large eggs 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 ½ medium or 2 large bananas) ¼ cup milk of choice or water 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 cup white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour ¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour Totally optional: ½ cup mix-ins like chopped walnuts or pecans, chocolate chips, raisins, chopped dried fruit, fresh banana slices…

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature 1 ¼ cups powdered sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Make it vegan: Use maple syrup instead of honey, replace the eggs with flax eggs and choose non-dairy milk (I used almond milk) or water. Substitute vegan products in the frosting or use your favorite vegan frosting recipe. Make it dairy free: Choose non-dairy milk (I used almond milk) or water. Substitute dairy-free products in the frosting or use your favorite dairy-free frosting recipe. Make it egg free: Replace the eggs with flax eggs. Make it gluten free: Bob’s Red Mill’s gluten-free blend works well here. Do not substitute coconut flour (it’s never a suitable substitute for other flours). Recommended equipment: I love this square baker and this hand mixer (those are affiliate links). How to make a layer cake: This recipe as written makes one 9″ round cake, no timing adjustments needed. Double the recipe and divide the batter between two 9″ round cake pans (butter or oil and flour the pans first) for a two-tiered layer cake. Double the frosting, too. How to make cupcakes: Divide the batter between 12 muffin cups. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the cupcakes are golden on top and a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. See photo below. How to make a large 9×13″ cake: Simply double the banana cake and frosting ingredients. Bake in a greased 9×13″ pan at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 36 to 40 minutes. Be sure to use a true 3-quart, 9×13″ pan (I used this one), as this makes a lot of cake (15 to 18 deep slices). See photos below!