Banana Cake

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This is my tita's (aunt's) famous banana cake recipe—it's light, fluffy, not-too-sweet, and very simple to make, especially for beginner bakers!

I added my own twist by topping it with banana pudding frosting and salted caramel, but feel free to customize the cake any way you want. My tita loves baking it in a loaf pan (like banana bread!), cutting into slices, and enjoying it warm with butter. :)

Prep Time25

Cook Time30

Total Time55

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 388kcal

Author: Bianca Fernandez

Equipment

Ingredients

Banana Cake:

½ cup unsalted butter melted and cooled
½ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tablespoon vanilla paste or extract
2 large bananas ripe, mashed
¼ cup milk
1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ cup turbinado sugar optional, for sprinkling on top

Banana Pudding Frosting:

8 ounces block cream cheese softened; see notes
⅓-1 cup powdered sugar adjust to taste
1 box instant banana pudding mix 3.4 ounce box; make sure it's instant pudding and not the kind you have to cook!
⅓ cup heavy cream optional, if you want it fluffier!

Topping:

⅛-¼ cup salted caramel sauce or spread

US Customary - Metric

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Instructions

Make the banana cake batter:

Preheat oven to 350°F/177°C. Spray and line 8-inch cake pan with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, mix together melted ½ cup unsalted butter and ½ cup granulated sugar until smooth.
Stir in 1 large egg and 1 tablespoon vanilla until fully combined.
Mix in mashed 2 large bananas and ¼ cup milk until smooth.
Dump in the dry ingredients: 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and ½ teaspoon fine sea salt. Stir until there are no dry spots remaining.

Bake the banana cake:

Transfer the cake batter into your lined pan. Optionally sprinkle on ¼ cup turbinado sugar for an extra crunch.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean with a few crumbs.
Let cool in cake pan for about 10 minutes, then remove and let fully cool on wire rack. While it cools, work on the frosting.

Make the banana pudding frosting:

In a medium mixing bowl, mix softened 8 ounces block cream cheese, ⅓-1 cup powdered sugar (adjust to taste), and 1 box instant banana pudding mix, until fully combined.
If you want it super light and fluffy, whip in ⅓ cup heavy cream.

Overwhipped and now the frosting is chunky? Stir in a splash of heavy cream until the frosting smooths back out!

Assemble:

Transfer cooled banana cake to cake stand. Top with banana pudding frosting, using an offset spatula to swirl it around.
Generously drizzle on ⅛-¼ cup salted caramel sauce or spread, and enjoy!

I actually love gently reheating frosted banana cake in the microwave for 15-30 seconds and enjoying it warm! The frosting does get a little melty, but it's so delicious (in my opinion~).

Video

Notes

*It is important to use block cream cheese instead of whipped cream cheese or cream cheese from a tub. They have added ingredients that will not work as well in this recipe.

Baking tip:

Weigh your ingredients! One of my favorite kitchen tools is a kitchen scale because it’s more accurate than measuring by volume. If you use cups, spoon the flour in gently, then level it with a knife or spatula.

Storage instructions:

Refrigeration instructions: Store banana cake slices in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freezer instructions: Store plastic wrapped banana cake layer or slices in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.

This is my tita’s banana cake recipe, which she’s been making for years! It’s adapted from a recipe by xuthus1972 on All Recipes UK. The original is no longer online, but we luckily have a PDF copy saved from 2017.

My version differs in the amounts of butter, sugar, and flour. The original also uses self-rising flour (popular in the UK), but I swapped in all-purpose flour plus baking powder, since that’s what’s easiest to find in the US. And I also paired it with my banana pudding frosting!

Nutrition