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    Home » Recipes » Recipes

    Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

    Modified: Jun 17, 2022 · Published: Jan 11, 2021 by Lucy · This post may contain affiliate links · 8 Comments

    Jump to Recipe
    A Pinterest image with a piece of banana cake with the whole cake in the background.

    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.

    A white plate with a piece of banana cake with cream cheese icing.

    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:
    • Why You're Going To Love This Recipe
    • Cake Ingredients
    • Variations
    • How To Make Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
    • Recipe Tips
    • Banana Cake FAQs
    • More Recipes For Using Up Ripe Bananas
    • Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

    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.

    The ingredients for banana cake in small bowls.
    • 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

    Creamed butter and sugar in a bowl.
    1. Step 1: Cream butter and sugars until pale and fluffy.
    Mashed banana and eggs on top of creamed butter and sugar in a bowl.
    1. Step 2: Add eggs, vanilla and bananas. Mix to combine.
    Flour on top of banana cake batter.
    1. Step 3: Add dry ingredients and buttermilk alternately. Don’t overmix.
    A round cake tin filled with batter on a marble counter
    1. Step 4: Pour into tin. Bake 45–50 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.
    Cream cheese icing in a bowl.
    1. 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.
    A fork full of banana cake with frosting next to a piece of cake.

    Banana Cake FAQs

    What can I use if I don’t have buttermilk?

    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.

    Can I make this banana cake ahead of time?

    Yes, you can bake the cake a day in advance and frost it the next day. It keeps really well.

    How do I know when the cake is ready?

    The cake is ready when a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean and the top springs back lightly when pressed.

    Can I freeze banana cake?

    Absolutely! Banana cake freezes well. I recommend freezing it without frosting, but you can freeze frosted slices too.

    Is there a gluten-free option for this recipe?

    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!

    • Pieces of moist banana bread with a crunchy sugar top.
      Banana Bread
    • A chocolate loaf with chocolate chips on top, sitting on a white and grey patterned tea towel.
      Fudgy Chocolate Banana Bread
    • A banana muffin with chunks of strawberries on a paper case.
      Strawberry Banana Muffins with Yoghurt
    • Banana Pikelets

    WANT EVEN MORE DELICIOUS RECIPES? Subscribe to my newsletter or follow along on Facebook or Instagram. And if you love baking, then please come and join my Facebook cooking club group or subscribe to my YouTube channel.

    A fork full of cake with frosting next to a piece of cake.

    Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

    This easy banana cake is hands down the BEST I've ever eaten - it's moist, soft and slathered with incredibly decadent cream cheese frosting.
    5 from 20 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: cakes
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes
    Cool Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes
    Servings: 12 serves
    Calories: 636kcal
    Author: Lucy - Bake Play Smile

    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
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    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

    RECIPE NOTES & TIPS
    • 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.
     

    Nutrition

    Calories: 636kcal | Carbohydrates: 88g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 118mg | Sodium: 228mg | Potassium: 287mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 60g | Vitamin A: 1003IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 103mg | Iron: 2mg
    Did you try this recipe?Mention @BakePlaySmileBlog or tag #BakePlaySmile!

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    Comments

    1. Alix says

      April 20, 2025 at 5:31 pm

      5 stars
      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>

      Reply
      • Lucy says

        April 21, 2025 at 8:05 am

        Fantastic! Yum!

        Reply
    2. Robert Hartford says

      December 24, 2024 at 5:14 pm

      5 stars
      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!

      Reply
    3. Phaedra Kohl says

      August 26, 2024 at 11:06 pm

      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?

      Reply
      • Lucy says

        August 27, 2024 at 7:46 am

        Sure thing! https://bakeplaysmile.com/baking-conversion-chart/

        Reply
    4. Jen says

      July 29, 2022 at 5:11 pm

      Can you make this cake into muffins

      Reply
      • Lucy says

        August 03, 2022 at 4:23 pm

        Absolutely! You'll need to reduce the cooking time accordingly.

        Reply
    5. Cherie says

      January 26, 2021 at 1:16 pm

      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!

      Reply
    5 from 20 votes (18 ratings without comment)

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    I’m Lucy! A mum, a wife, a food blogger and a lover of all things to do with food! I love creating delicious, no-fuss Thermomix and conventional recipes the whole family will love. Classic baking favourites, lunch box snacks, quick and easy family dinners and more!

    More about me →

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