Favorite Banana Cake
This banana cake recipe is the best! It's fluffy and moist, infused with banana flavor, and easy to make! Topped with luscious cream cheese frosting, this banana cake will become your family's favorite.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
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:
- Gently stir your flour with a large spoon to loosen it up.
- Spoon the flour into your measuring cup (don’t scoop it in!).
- Level off the excess with a butter knife.
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.
Favorite Banana Cake
This banana cake recipe is the best! It’s fluffy and moist, infused with banana flavor, and so easy to make. Topped with luscious cream cheese frosting, this banana cake will become your family’s favorite. Recipe yields one 9″ square or round cake; see final recipe note on how to double this recipe for a large 9×13″ cake or layer cake.
Ingredients
Banana Cake
- 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
Instructions
- To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 9” square baker.
- In a large bowl, beat the oil and honey together together with a whisk. Add the eggs and beat well, then whisk in the mashed bananas and milk. (If your coconut oil solidifies on contact with cold ingredients, simply let the bowl rest in a warm place for a few minutes, like on top of your stove, or warm it for 10 to 20 seconds in the microwave.)
- Add the baking powder, baking soda, vanilla, salt and cinnamon, and whisk to blend. Add both flours, switch to a big spoon and stir just until combined. Some lumps are ok! If you’re adding any additional mix-ins, gently fold them in now.
- Pour the batter into your greased baker. Bake for 30 to 34 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Place the cake pan on a cooling rack and let the cake cool completely before frosting.
- To prepare the frosting: In a medium mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the softened cream cheese and butter. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer (or your own strength), beat the cream cheese and butter together until fluffy.
- Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and stir with a spoon until it is incorporated (or else powdered sugar will fly everywhere), then whip the frosting until it’s nice and fluffy.
- To assemble, spread frosting evenly over the top of the cake, then slice it and serve. This cake is best stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Notes
*Oil options: I love coconut oil here. I used unrefined coconut oil and can hardly taste it in the final product. Olive oil might lend an herbal note to the cake, if you’re into that (I tested with California Olive Ranch’s “Everyday” variety and couldn’t even taste it). Vegetable oil has a neutral flavor, but the average vegetable canola oil is highly processed, so I recommend using cold-pressed sunflower oil or grapeseed oil if possible.
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 (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!
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
This recipe makes great cupcakes, too.
See final recipe notes for instructions.
Here’s the recipe doubled in a 9×13″ pan!
See final recipe notes for instructions.
What do you think making it with almond flour?
Unfortunately, almond flour isn’t typically a 1:1 substitute. I don’t know if I would suggest it, especially without trying it! Sorry to not be of more help. If you do try it, let me know how it works for you!
Hi Kate!
Was wondering if this cake freezes well without the frosting? Many thanks!
I don’t know for sure, but you could see what others have tried. I believe my banana bread has, so I would assume this should too!
I just made this cake for my family. I used maple syrup and all purpose whit flour (that is what I had on hand). It was a hit! So yummy, and the frosting is to delicious!!!! Definitely a keeper!!
Great to hear, Anne-Marie!
Hi Kate,
I’m wanting to use your Banana Cake recipe for a smash cake. Would you change the temperature or cooking time if you use two smaller round cake pans?
Hi Courtney, I have instructions on layer cakes in the recipe notes (so many notes!). Great idea to make this a smash cake!
I wanted a chocolate cake for my son’s birthday so I subbed 3/4 cups of the flour for organic cocoa and used organic whole grain flour. It worked beautifully!
Thank you!
You’re welcome!
This looked so delicious to me, and I followed the recipe exactly as directed. My results were a little disappointing. It was not very moist and was lacking overall in banana flavor. I think next time I will try adding another banana and a half… although my grandmother’s banana bread recipe is relatively similar and could be transformed into a cake as well, and that recipe has 1.5 cups of flour total and 3 bananas… and instead of oil, it uses butter! Thats could be what my taste buds were missing. ;)
I’m sorry this didn’t match-up to your expectations. How long did you bake it for, Liz? Thank you for your feedback!
No, worries! I baked it for 30 minutes. I think one more banana would have done the trick! Thank you.
Hiya, loved your recipe, I was wondering if you needed the whole wheat flour, as I don’t have any at the moment? Thank you!
its looking tasty and easy to bake it.
Thank you!
Excellent recipe. It’s a keeper!
Thank you, Kathy!
I like banana. Thanks for sharing banana cake. I will definitely taste it. I liked your receipt very much.
Thank you!
This banana cake is the best ive ever made. I didn’t have any cream cheese so I made a lemon icing with coconut, was delicious!
I’m glad you loved it! Thanks for your review, Ashlyn.
Hi Kate, loved your banana bread recipe, it turned out quite well for me at home. would love to bake this banana poppy cake too. could you help me with the following first.
-can i use white poppy instead of black?
– can i use honey instead of sugar?
– can i use brown sugar instead of white?
thank you,
Sneha
Hi Sneha, thanks for your note! You can simply add poppy seeds to the recipe. I am not following your questions about white and brown sugar. This recipe calls for honey (no other sugars).
THANK YOU for this recipe! Made it with Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 gf flour (used the honey option and sunflower oil for the oil) and it was absolutely perfect. Used a vegan “cream cheese” frosting made with cashews and everyone flipped out over how good it was.
Thanks for sharing, Floyd!
Hello Kate!
I’ve been making your Healthy Moist Banana Bread for our Bible Study. And every time, I come home with an empty loaf tin/pan :) I’m planning to make this cake into cupcakes for a friend’s bday (doing a cupcake bouquet). I’m curious to know, will cake flour work in this recipe? Thank you for your response.
I’m so glad you have enjoyed the bread! I would watch cooking time, but I’m not sure about cupcakes without trying it.
Is white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour, self-raising flour?
And whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour, plain flour?
Thank you !!
You will want 1 cup white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour. And also, ¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour. I hope this helps!
I love this recipe!!!! My grandchildren (5) eat Sunday dinner with us every week and this is one of the most requested deserts. I make it as cake or cupcakes and put nuts or chocolate chips to change it up. I do different frosting also. Thank you for sharing.
I’m glad you love it and can share it with your grandchildren. Thanks for sharing, Karen!
Can i use a self-raising whole wheat flour instead? And omit the baking soda and salt? And any tips on sweetening the cream cheese frosting with a healthy substitute to powder sugar? Loved your healthy banana bread recipe! Yum!!
I made this cake and it is delicious with the recommended icing. I added crushed walnuts and raisins to the mixture, substituted the flour for self raising and organic coconut flour. It turned out light and fluffy and I will keep it as a family favourite.
Hooray! I love that this is a family favorite now, Helen.
This cake is so delicious! My daughter wants it for her birthday. Thank you very much!
You’re welcome, Daniela!
I made it! Delicious!! Didn’t add the frosting as I’m packing it as a snack for my daughter at summer camp. Thank you!!
You’re welcome, Elena! What a fun camp treat.
I love your recipes! I have 5 children and I love how your recipes use real wholesome ingredients and are lightly sweetened with maple syrup or raw honey so they are getting the very best with these recipes. My oldest son is 9 and has severe food allergies so I really appreciated how this can be simply made Egg and dairy free so he can enjoy it, too. I actually forgot to put in the flax eggs and this cake turned out perfect without eggs or an egg sub! I used rice milk instead of cow milk. I couldn’t make the cheese cream frosting and instead used a dairy free chocolate ganache that was really simple to whip up with just 5 ingredients *Chocolate chips, coconut oil, vanilla, rice milk, salt)
My kids devoured this and my only complaint is that I didn’t double it so everyone could have seconds! New family favorite here. :)
Thank you for sharing, Jessie! I’m so happy to hear how much of a resource the blog is for you and your family. I appreciate your review!
I had two really overripe bananas sitting on my kitchen counter, but no sour cream, yogurt or buttermilk in my fridge, so this recipe was just what I was looking for. I used grapeseed oil, maple syrup and chopped pecans and only 1/4 cup whole wheat flour (substituting all-purpose flour for the rest). The cake baked beautifully. It is moist and flavorful. I topped it with a vanilla butter frosting because I’m not the biggest fan of cream cheese frosting.
I love when that happens! Thank you for sharing, Wendy.
Could I substitute agave nectar for the honey/maple syrup?
I didn’t try it, but it should work too. Let me know what you think!
Hi, what a fabulous recipe. Made it with maple syrup and Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1. I added pecans and chocolate chips plus the frosting. I think it is was a little too sweet for our taste. I just took another one out of the oven and I left out the chocolate chips and am debating whether or not to put any frosting on it. Thanks for an easy recipe, I’ve never used your recipes before but will be looking at some of your others.
I’m so happy to hear it worked out well GF fo you. Thank you for your review!
Can’t wait to make this meek week for my daughters first birthday. I know it’s a weird question, but do you have any suggestions for time if I were to cook this in my instant pot in 2 7inch round pans? My oven is terribly unpredictable at the moment. I will be making this with your date cream cheese.
I’m sorry I haven’t cooked this in an instant pot. I’m not sure if it will work well as I created this for an oven.
Hello this looks like the perfect recipe. I can’t wait to make it for my daughters first birthday and August 3rd. I know it’s a weird question, but if I were to cook this in an instant pot, do you have a recommendation of cooking time? My oven is terribly unpredictable at the moment. Thank you.
Happy early birthday to you both! I haven’t tried this in the instant pot, sorry! I’m hesitant it would work as it was designed for an oven.
wonderful recipe…This is a perfect banana cake recipe. I would love to try this one.
Thank you!
Delicious cake and icing! Made today for a work bday coffee break. I reduced the honey by 1/2 and added two extra bananas to the cake. It was plenty sweet and super yummy! Lots of great feedback from coworkers :)
I’m happy you loved it! Thanks for your review, Erica.
Made it into mini muffins! Instead of a cup of whole wheat flour I used oatmeal flour and I added 3 table spoons of chocolate and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.
Thank you for sharing, Annemarie!
I’m making this right now and it smells great. Used regular sugar and canola oil, with whole wheat flour and all-purpose. Came together easily. Oh, and I added chocolate chips :-)
Thank you for sharing, Carrie!
Hi Kate !
This looks delicious. Can I substitute melted butter for the vegetable oil? Would it impact the texture of the cake ?
Thank you!
Katie
That should be ok, let me know!
I have made this recipe a number of times and it always turns out perfect. My family all love it including my 18 year old daughter who thinks you can’t bake a cake without sugar. She actually then asked me to bake it for her birthday cake which I thought was rather funny.
Delicious, especially the frosting! So easy to make. I used avocado oil, since we had that, and it came out great. Never tried a recipe where I could merely WHISK a cake batter together! Thank you so much for a new favorite cake recipe!
Hello Cookie and Kate!
I made your healthy carrot muffins the other day and they were a huge success!! Thank you for that. And today, since I had a few minutes to kill before picking up my daughter from work, I decided to stroll through your recipes to see what else looks good. And believe it or not but our absolute FAVORITE banana bread recipe that my daughter found online because her father wanted something he could enjoy without the guilt and crap in most baked goods,is YOURS!!! Wait till everyone hears this!!! Thank you so much for all the wonderful recipes!! AND… I saw your book in the book store and I remember thinking, ” man all that stuff looks so good!”
Well, just thought I’d let you know that we are loving what you do in the kitchen and now seeing Cookie, I love it even more!!!
Thank you! I’m so happy you are loving the recipes.
I tried itit soft and yummy..This is your second recipe ive tried and so happy with it…I will use maple syrup so that i can share it with my 9month old baby.
Thank you for your review, Selorm!
Looks delicious!! I’m going to bake this tomorrow for my family I’m sure it tastes as good as it looks!
Is it okay to substitute the sugar in the frosting for honey and if yes then for how much?
Hi Emilia, sorry I’m not sure on your question as I made this specifically with a wet sweetener.
Made this cake for my little man’s first birthday, wrote his name using blueberries to decorate and put strawberries and grapes around the edges, all his favourite fruits! The cake was so easy to make, turned out really moist and delicious, my baking can often be hit and miss but this was a definite hit! It was loved by all kids and adults especially the birthday boy!! Thanks for this awesome recipe
How fun! Thank you for sharing, Elaine.
Hi! I just made this recipe yesterday to give to our daughter who turned one. It was awesome! Her party is Saturday and with the Fall season, is pumpkin themed. I tried a re joe for pumpkin cake that was similar this but very dense. Do you think I could swap out the 1 cup of banana for 1 cup of pumpkin purée?? Thanks for any help you can provide.
Happy birthday!! I haven’t tried it, but you could try it. Or, maybe make my pumpkin bread recipe and top withe frosting!
I have made this as a 9×9 a few times with great success. It’s my favorite thing to make with overripe bananas! Yesterday I wanted to try a 9×13 but didn’t have enough to double the recipe. I decided to go with a 1.5 recipe and I’m so glad I did!! I think the cake is plenty big and think doubling would be excessive. I used a .5 cup of extra-virgin olive oil, 9 oz honey, 3 lg eggs, 1.5 cup mashed banana, .25 cup plus 2 TBSP whole milk, 1.5 tsp baking powder, .75 tsp baking soda, 1.5 tsp vanilla, .75 tsp salt, .75 tsp cinnamon, 1.5 cup (180g) white whole wheat flour, 1.125 cup (135g) all-purpose flour. I did NOT double the frosting and feel like it was the perfect amount of frosting. Thanks so much for all your recipes!
Thank you for sharing! I’m glad you are loving this recipe and were able to make it work doubled, too.
Can i use all purpose flour to replace the wheat flour?
You could try it, although I haven’t for this. Sorry!
Really loved this recipe! Very tasty, great texture and really easy to make. I’ve made it twice and the second time I didn’t have ripe bananas and I found a way to ripen them in the oven and it worked great! Even better than letting them ripe on their own, in my opinion. Thanks Kate for another wonderful recipe!
You’re welcome, Christine! Thank you for your comment and review.
This came out so well!
I halved the recipe to make a tiny loaf, and it was perfect. :)
Thank you so much for this delicious banana cake recipe! We made it last night and frosted it after dinner tonight (using honey in the frosting rather than powdered sugar) and it was just perfect!
I made this last night with 1/2 cup buckwheat, 3/4 cup oat and 1/2 cup almond flour and added maple extract to the cake and frosting. Sprinkled pecans on top. Omg. IT’S SO GOOD. My husband and I may have polished half of it off while making our friends in google hangout super jealous.
I just made this today….. it was amazing….. i added in the pecans, and the cake was moist, had a little bit of crunch, and the frosting was simple but heavenly. My picky fiance even loved it! I’m so happy!!! Thank you for the recipe <3
Best banana cake I’ve made – incredibly moist and even though its healthier than a lot of other recipes I’ve followed, it’s actually tastier.
I love thus east to follow recipe ..I just add chopped cranberries dates and walnuts to the mixture ..is so yummy
yummy
This was amazing. I used olive oil and maple syrup. For milk I used half 2% and half buttermilk and it was amazing. I just ran out of wheat flour so I subbed AP for all the flour and it was very good, but obviously not as healthy. I appreciate the flexibility in this recipe. Thank you so much!
Thank you! I’m glad you love it, Alicia.
I made this cake, but veganized it, and it came out thinner, and dense. I am assuming from flax eggs? This always happens to me. Any suggestions? Thanks for the recipe, still very tasty.
Hi Colleen! I’m glad your bread was still tasty. It might not rise as high with flax eggs. You might also double-check that your baking soda has not expired, since it helps with leavening as well. Lastly, I just added some flour measuring tips to the post that might be helpful to you! If you’re accidentally measuring out too much flour, it’ll make your baked goods dense.