There’s something so comforting about a good old-fashioned easy banana cake topped with a thick layer of tangy cream cheese frosting. It’s soft, moist, full of banana flavour and the perfect way to use up those ripe bananas!
For more sweet bakes, try my classic ANZAC biscuits or chocolate coconut slice.
Absolutely delicious! A family favourite in the making!
- Alix
Made with pantry staples, this easy banana cake is light, fluffy and topped with dreamy cream cheese frosting.
The bananas keep it moist and tender, while buttermilk and brown sugar create that deep, irresistible bakery-style flavour – the kind you'd expect from your favourite cafe.
It’s the kind of cake that tastes like it took hours, but really comes together in just a few simple steps – just like my easy carrot cake and apple crumble cake.
Why You're Going To Love This Recipe
- Super soft and moist thanks to ripe bananas and buttermilk.
- Creamy frosting with the perfect tangy-sweet balance.
- One bowl – no fuss, no fancy equipment.
- Waste-free – the best way to use up brown bananas.
- Freezer-friendly – make ahead and enjoy later.
Jump to:
Cake Ingredients
The best thing about banana cake is that it's made entirely from pantry staples that you already have at home.
Budget-friendly AND delicious!
Note: please scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for ingredient quantities and the full detailed method.
- Overripe bananas – for natural sweetness and moist texture.
- Buttermilk – helps keep the cake soft. No buttermilk? Mix milk with a little vinegar or lemon juice.
- Brown sugar – adds rich caramel flavour.
Variations
- Gluten-Free: Use a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour.
- Add-ins: Fold through nuts or choc chips.
- Cupcakes: Bake in muffin tins for 18–20 mins.
- No Frosting: Serve plain or dusted with icing sugar.
How To Make Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Banana cakes look and taste incredible, but they're actually so easy to make!
Here's my simple, no-fuss banana cake recipe that will leave you with a soft and moist cake.
Note: please scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for ingredient quantities and the full detailed method
- Step 1: Cream butter and sugars until pale and fluffy.
- Step 2: Add eggs, vanilla and bananas. Mix to combine.
- Step 3: Add dry ingredients and buttermilk alternately. Don’t overmix.
- Step 4: Pour into tin. Bake 45–50 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.
- Step 5: Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add icing sugar and vanilla. Beat until fluffy and then add to cooled cake.
Recipe Tips
- Use very ripe bananas for the best taste.
- Bring ingredients to room temp before starting.
- Don’t overmix – this keeps the cake light.
- The cake is ready when a skewer comes out clean.
- Too thick frosting? Add a little milk.
- Store in fridge up to 3 days.
- Freeze slices (unfrosted or frosted) up to 3 months.
Banana Cake FAQs
If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make your own by mixing regular milk with a little vinegar or lemon juice and letting it sit for 5 minutes.
Yes, you can bake the cake a day in advance and frost it the next day. It keeps really well.
The cake is ready when a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean and the top springs back lightly when pressed.
Absolutely! Banana cake freezes well. I recommend freezing it without frosting, but you can freeze frosted slices too.
Yes, you can substitute the plain flour with a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend for a gluten-free version.
More Recipes For Using Up Ripe Bananas
So you've got a HUGE fruit bowl full of over-ripe bananas just waiting to be used up. These are the recipes for you!
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Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
For the banana cake
- 3 large ripe bananas (approximately 1 and ½ cups or 400g)
- 375 g plain flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon bi-carbonate soda
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch of salt (approx ½ tsp)
- 170 g (¾ cup) unsalted butter room temperature
- 200 g (1 cup) raw sugar granulated sugar
- 100 g (½ cup) brown sugar light or dark
- 3 eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 375 ml (1 and ½ cups) buttermilk see notes
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 250 g full fat cream cheese room temperature
- 115 g butter room temperature
- 360 g (3 cups) icing sugar confectioners sugar
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Conventional Method
- Preheat oven to 175 degrees celsius (fan-forced). Grease a round 23cm cake tin.
- Mash the bananas with a fork and set aside.
- Sift the plain flour, baking powder, bi-carbonate soda, cinnamon and salt together. Set aside.
- Place the room temperature butter into a large bowl. Add the raw sugar and brown sugar. Use hand-held beaters or a stand mixer to beat on high speed for 4-5 minute or until pale, smooth and creamy.
- Add the eggs, vanilla extract and bananas and beat on medium speed until combined.
- Alternate adding the dry ingredients with the buttermilk and continue mixing on low until only just combined (it's fine for the mixture to be a little lumpy).
- Pour the cake mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 45-50 minutes (see notes). The cake is ready when a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Remove the cake from the oven and leave in the baking tin for 15 minutes. Turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the cream cheese frosting, beat the room temperature cream cheese and butter on high speed until smooth, pale and creamy (approximately 3 minutes).
- Add the sifted icing sugar and vanilla and mix on low speed, slowing increasing to high speed for 3 minutes. If the frosting is too thick, add up to a tablespoon of milk and beat through.
- Spread the frosting over the cooled cake. Store in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days.
Thermomix Method
- Preheat oven to 170 degrees celsius (fan-forced). Grease a round 23cm cake tin.
- Place the plain flour, baking powder, bi-carbonate soda, cinnamon and salt into the Thermomix bowl. Sift by mixing for 5 seconds, Speed 10. Set aside in a separate bowl.
- Place the bananas into the Thermomix bowl and mix for 5 seconds, Speed 4.
- Insert the butterfly. Add the room temperature butter and mix for 1 minute, Speed 3.
- Add the raw sugar and brown sugar and mix for 2 minutes, Speed 3.
- With the blades turning, add the eggs (one at a time through the MC hole) and vanilla extract and mix for 30 seconds, Speed 2. Remove the butterfly.
- With the blades turning on Speed 3, alternate adding the dry ingredients with the buttermilk and continue mixing until only just combined (it's fine for the mixture to be a little lumpy). Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for a further 5 seconds, Speed 5.
- Pour the cake mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 45-50 minutes (see notes). The cake is ready when a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Remove the cake from the oven and leave in the baking tin for 15 minutes. Turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the cream cheese frosting, add all of the frosting ingredients to a clean Thermomix bowl and mix for 30 seconds, Speed 5. Scrape down the sides and repeat for a further 5 seconds or until smooth.
Notes
- Use very ripe bananas for the best taste.
- If you don't have buttermilk, add a little vinegar or lemon juice to regular milk and leave for 5 minutes.
- Bring ingredients to room temp before starting.
- Don’t overmix – this keeps the cake light.
- The cake is ready when a skewer comes out clean.
- Too thick frosting? Add a little milk.
- Store in fridge up to 3 days.
- Freeze slices (unfrosted or frosted) up to 3 months.
Alix says
Absolutely delicious! A family favourite in the making!.
I made it extra decadent and added a large tablespoon of Biscoff spread to the icing mixture>
Lucy says
Fantastic! Yum!
Robert Hartford says
Today I made your Banana cake and frosting recipe. I had so much frosting that Its piled about 1" high!! I made two cakes and they are in the fridge hopefully hardening up a little. I remember as a child watching my mother when she made a cake with frosting, and looking on with envy as my three step brothers always got the paddle to lick clean. But not today! I laugh about it those fond memory's and enjoy the moment.
( I am male and live in Australia and love cooking mainly to survive hahah) Thanks for your wonderful recipes and am looking forward to trying out a few more!
Phaedra Kohl says
Can you give directions translating from metric measures to cups and ounces for those of us in the USE who are not schooled in metric measures?
Lucy says
Sure thing! https://bakeplaysmile.com/baking-conversion-chart/
Jen says
Can you make this cake into muffins
Lucy says
Absolutely! You'll need to reduce the cooking time accordingly.
Cherie says
Firstly, let me say that this makes soooooooo much mixture! I only have a 20cm round cake tin and not a 23cm, however, I still wonder how it would all fit into the tin! I ended up dividing it between two tins... problem solved! I put the second one in the freezer, along with all left over cream cheese (separate containers). Having said that; this is DELICIOUS and moist!