Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
I have copies of recipes floating all over my apartment, some tucked into cookbooks, others stuffed into kitchen drawers. But I recently stumbled across a photocopy of a recipe my mom gave me for Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, and I knew I had to share it with you all as it is an unchallenged contestant for the moistest cake I have ever baked.
I’m unsure of where this recipe originated from, but I do know it’s been a crowd favorite at many gatherings with family and friends. I was doubtful about the technique of freezing a cake post-baking, but this recipe made a believer out of me. The blast of cold seals in the moisture and big banana flavor, while a slathering of cream cheese frosting is the perfect sweet and tangy complement to the fresh fruit taste.
Yield: one 9"x13" cake Prep Time: 90 min (includes cooling time) Cook Time: 1 hour
For the cake: 1½ cups mashed ripe bananas
For the frosting: 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese
For the cake: Preheat the oven to 275ºF. In a small bowl, combine the mashed bananas with the lemon juice and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside. Cream together the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy, then beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla then beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Fold in the mashed banana mixture and pour into a 9"x13" greased pan. Bake the cake for one hour, or until a toothpick when inserted comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven when done cooking and immediately transfer to the freezer for 45 minutes to cool. Remove the cake from the freezer, frost with cream cheese frosting (recipe below) and top with chopped walnuts.
For the cream cheese frosting: Beat together the cream cheese and softened butter until well incorporated. Beat in vanilla then slowly beat in the powdered sugar until the icing is smooth in texture. Spread on prepared cake and serve.
Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons lemon juice
3 cups flour
1½ teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup butter
2 cups plus 2 Tablespoons sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1½ cups buttermilk
½ cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
3½ cups powdered sugar
Chopped walnutsDirections:
Holly F. — February 4, 2009 @ 10:57 pm
This may become my favorite cake. It looks wonderful.
Connia H. — March 12, 2009 @ 9:19 am
I can’t wait to try this receipe–it looks very, very yummy.
A Memorable Mother’s Day | — May 9, 2010 @ 5:52 pm
[...] A summer-time treat: Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting [...]
marie b — February 27, 2011 @ 5:43 pm
I just wanted to say I made this banana cake today, and my mother loved it. Best she has ever tasted. I don’t like banana, so I didn’t try it, but it sure smelled lovely..The frosting was delish. I will use that on a cake I like. I was a little leary about cooking it at 275, but on convection, it took exactly 1 hour. Thanks this will be a recipe, I will be making often.
Kelly Senyei — March 1, 2011 @ 6:51 pm
Thanks so much for your comment, marie b! I’m so happy to hear that your mom enjoyed the cake. It’s a recipe my mom actually passed down to me years ago, and I’ve been making it for special occasions ever since. Enjoy!
J — May 10, 2011 @ 11:09 pm
Cake looks delish and your photos are amazing. Saw the exact same recipe on allrecipes.com
Heather M. — October 11, 2011 @ 1:23 am
Sorry to sound stupid but are you supposed to use cake flour or regular ap flour? Thanks! I can’t wait to make this for my grandmothers bday.
Kelly replied: — October 11th, 2011 @ 1:43 am
Not a stupid question at all, Heather! It’s all-purpose flour. This is one of my favorite cake recipes of all time – enjoy!
Just a Taste » Banana Nut Pancakes — October 19, 2011 @ 11:29 am
[...] show me a banana and I’ll show you my favorite cake, my favorite muffins, and now, my favorite [...]
Diana Izzi Kraus — October 26, 2011 @ 7:17 pm
Once again made this fabulous cake to all kinds os kudos! Added the juice of half a lemon to the frosting and like the added zest. Was served in a Jazz club for a couple’s 31st Anniversary Celebration and even the musicians clamored for seconds!
Thanks, Kelly
Kelly replied: — October 26th, 2011 @ 7:19 pm
I’m so glad you’re enjoying the recipe, Diana! This is one of my all-time favorites – regardless of the season. Enjoy!
AliH — February 13, 2012 @ 3:56 pm
We had a banana cake at my wedding that I have been trying to replicate for 5 years, going to try this tuesday, a Valentine t reat for the hubby, I hope its close! Excited to try it out
Kelly replied: — February 13th, 2012 @ 4:00 pm
I hope so, too! Freezing the cake makes it so incredibly moist, and how can you resist a cream cheese frosting?! Let me know how it turns out!
AliH — February 13, 2012 @ 4:45 pm
I will, thanks!
AliH — February 13, 2012 @ 11:07 pm
HOLY COW. The cake is perfect, I am pretty sure it is as close as I am going to get to my actual wedding day cake. For some reason it took an hour and 25 min to cook, but who cares, it tastes AMAZING. I didn’t put the frosting on it yet, and I don’t think I will even though I made a batch of it. I am not big on cream cheese frosting and for the wedding we had a whipped cream frosting so I will have to keep searching for a recipe that is more like that. Since I did make the frosting, I guess I need to make some red velvet cupcakes for tomorrow?! THANKS SO MUCH FOR SHARING THIS RECIPE, I LOVE YOU!!!!!
Kelly replied: — February 14th, 2012 @ 3:39 am
WOW WOW WOW! I am SO excited to hear you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for your sweet comments!