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Best Banana Cake Recipe With Cream Cheese Frosting

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Best banana cake recipe – yes that’s what I decided to call this banana cake because this is hands down the best banana cake recipe I have ever come across, baked, and tasted. I tasted this banana cake for the first time when I was in Sydney. I have a colleague there who loves baking almost as much as I do and she bakes cakes for people in her team very often. She brought this banana cake and a flourless chocolate cake the day I landed. They were both divine.

best banana cake recipe

Australians love their banana bread and banana cake. It’s a staple in all coffee shops – thick slabs of banana bread served toasted with salted butter. Ah, bliss.

The moment I had my first taste of this banana cake made by a colleague, I decided I not only want the recipe, but I want the book it came in as well. I asked her to bring it in the next day so I could jot down the recipe, and ordered it online the same day from Book Depository. Mix and Bake by Belinda Jeffery is a great one to own and bake from, you all!

belinda jeffery mix and bake book

I made it exactly the same way mentioned in the book the first time. It tasted wonderful – quite dense, sweet, deliciously banana-ey. The cream cheese frosting was the perfect indulgence along with the humble banana backing. The beauty of this cake is, it can be entirely made in a food processor so use yours if you have one.

I have an immersion hand blender that has a processor/chopper which worked perfectly. If not, you can just use your hand-help whisk or electric beater to bring the batter together. A blender may work well too.

philips handheld blender chopper

The second time around, I decided to make it less sweet with no frosting, perfect for breakfast or to carry in a tiffin box to school, work, or a picnic.

Also check out this banana bread recipe
eggless banana oatmeal cookies
eggless chocolate banana pound cake

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Christmas cakes and cookies

Best Banana Cake Recipe Ever

★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews
  • Author: nags
  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 40 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 12 pieces 1x
  • Category: Cakes
  • Cuisine: Australian
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Description

The best banana cake recipe ever, hands down!

Scale

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup / 110gm plain flour
  • 1.5 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 very ripe large banana (about 1/2 to 3/4 cups when mashed)
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar (regular white sugar)
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter, at room temperature
  • 50ml sour cream (or buttermilk)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 125 gm cream cheese, cut into chunks, at room temperature
  • 1/4 cup / 4 tablespoons butter, cut into chunks, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup / 150gm icing sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F / 180C.
  2. Grease a 9″ cake pan. This size is actually for the recipe which I have halved here so you can only make a thin single layered cake if you use a 9″ pan. Try a smaller pan if you want to frost the cake in layers.
  3. Put the flour, baking powder, salt, and soda into the food processor and whiz them together for about 15-20 seconds.
  4. Tip into a bowl and set aside. If mixing by hand, just put everything into a bowl and blend together using a whisk or a fork.
  5. Chop the bananas into the food processor next and whiz into a pulp. Make sure the banana is really ripe. Again, you can do this step by hand using a fork or potato masher, in a separate bowl.
  6. Add the sugar and egg to the mashed banana and whiz for another minute.
  7. Then add the butter and whiz for another minute until the mixture is thick and creamy. (Cream together for about 5 mins if doing by hand).
  8. Next, add the sour cream (or buttermilk) and vanilla extract and whiz in quick pulses until just blended. Fold together if doing by hand.
  9. At this stage, you can either tip the flour mixture into the food processor or fold together in a separate bowl. My chopper bowl is not that big so I did this in a bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones and fold until just blended. Don’t overdo the mixing part.
  10. Scoop into greased tray and smooth out the top layer evenly.
  11. Bake for about 40 mins or until the top turns golden brown and the cake passes the skewer test.
  12. Remove and let cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting

  1. Blend the cream cheese and butter together until smooth
  2. Add the icing sugar and vanilla and process again until completely smooth and creamy – about 3-5 minutes
  3. Refrigerate until needed. 
  4. Let the cake cool completely before frosting

Notes

  • I halved the recipe in the book to make one cake. You can double the measurements above to get a 9″ layered cake 
  • The frosting is optional, the cake is sweet and delicious enough on its own, in my opinion
  • The banana needs to be really ripe for best results – please see picture below

Step by Step Pictures for Best Banana Cake Recipe:

1. Preheat oven to 350F / 180C. Grease a 9″ cake pan or a brownie pan like I used.

Make sure your banana is really ripe before you attempt this banana cake recipe

ripe banana for banana cake

2. Put the flour, baking powder, salt, and soda into the food processor and whiz them together for about 15-20 seconds. Tip into a bowl and set aside. If mixing by hand, just put everything into a bowl and blend together using a whisk or a fork.

step by step banana cake recipe belinda jeffery

3. Chop the bananas into the food processor next and whiz into a pulp. Again, make sure the banana is really really ripe. Again, you can do this by hand using a fork or potato masher, in a separate bowl.

4. Add the sugar and egg to the mashed banana and whiz for another minute. Then add the butter and whiz for another minute until the mixture is thick and creamy. (Cream together for about 5 mins if doing by hand).

step by step banana cake recipe

5. Next, add the sour cream (or buttermilk) and vanilla extract and whiz in quick pulses until just blended. Fold together if doing by hand.

banana cake recipe step by step

6. At this stage, you can either tip the flour mixture into the food processor or fold together in a separate bowl. My chopper bowl is not that big so I did this in a bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones and fold until just blended. Don’t overdo the mixing part.

banana cake recipe step by step

7. Scoop into greased tray and smooth out the top layer evenly.

banana cake recipe step by step

8. Bake for about 40 mins or until the top turns golden brown and the cake passes the skewer test. Remove and let cool completely before frosting.

best banana cake recipe belinda jeffery

For Cream Cheese Frosting:

Whiz together all ingredients in the food processor for about a minute until well blended. Chill until needed to frost. You can mix by hand too, just make sure the butter and cream cheese are softened to room temperature so that they blend well when mixing with hand.

Best Banana Cake Recipe Ever (With Cream Cheese Frosting)

When the cake is cool, layer on the frosting on all sides. Cut and serve. With sour cream, the cake turns out much much softer so try and use it instead of buttermilk, if you can. Yum.

Best Banana Cake Recipe Ever (With Cream Cheese Frosting)

For banana cake recipe in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Kannada, Malay, Urdu, etc please use the Google translate button in the sidebar.

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Comments

  2. Pooja

    I love bananas and making a banana cake was a great idea. It was soft and so yummy<3 Thanks for sharing 🙂

    Reply

  3. Motivation Drive

    Amazing post, thanx for sharing this article. I am truly motivated by your post.
    Thanx again!!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  4. Vanethi

    Hey! I baked 2 banana cakes using this recipe but with lesser sugar (1/2 cup once and 1/3 cup another time) and they turned out great! We preferred the 1/3 cup sugar recipe because my husband and I aren’t much of sweet-toothed people. Thanks a lot for sharing the recipe 🙂

    I was thinking of making a banana bread loaf using a standard sized loaf pan (9 * 5). Being a beginner in baking, I am little confused about the measurements and baking time. Should I double this recipe or keep the same to make the banana bread loaf? How many minutes should the cake be in the oven? Are there any ingredients that I should add or remove to make a bread loaf instead of cake?

    Thanks again for sharing the recipe, we love it at our home! And, Thanks in advance for your response!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  7. Anonymous

    Hi There! Made banana cake with your recipe and it turned out to be awesome! Just wanted to say thanks for the wonderful recipe!

    Reply

  11. Afsa Mishael

    hi..
    thanks for such a wonderful recipe.such a yummy and definitely the best banana cake. have made this many times and its a hit with anyone who tasted it. hubby loved it. i used brown sugar once instead of plain sugar, and i loved that version..

    Reply

  12. Priyanka Peter

    Hi there, Just tried the banana cake, it's still in the oven though.. But wanted to ask you, that my batter did not become thick and creamy as in the picture.. Instead it just curdled after I added the yogurt (substituted the sour cream)..

    Reply

  14. iDiva

    I added butter and sugar to the mashed banana first, whisked and then added an egg later, whisked again, and the batter curdled 🙁 Cake's in the oven now and I have my fingers crossed.

    Reply

  15. Tastyveedu

    Have you ever tried doubling this recipe Nags??I love this cake and I've made it many times ..but nver doubled the recipe…need a big cake 2day for iftar party…jus wantd 2 noe how it wud turn out if i doubled de recipe..

    Reply

    • Nagalakshmi V

      doubling the banana cake recipe should come out just fine. you will have to use a larger cake tray and use longer time for baking. or, maybe you can bake it as two cakes and use frosting to fill it up and loosely cover it?

      Reply

    • Tastyveedu

      I just made 2 batches of the cake as I was late 2 see your reply and I was afraid 2 double de recipe …and as usual evry1 luvd it..its lyk a never-fail recipe,i luv it!!!

      Reply

  16. Nina

    A friend of mine sent this link after RAVING about the Banana Cake. A work collegue had taken the cake to work and my friend declares it, "Truly the nicest moist, flavoursome cake I have ever tried."
    That's quie an endorsement. 🙂 So I'm going to bake a vegan version. I will use lemon juice to 'buttermilk' some soy milk, 60g silken tofu (or 1 tbsp flax meal blended with 3 tbsp water – not yet decided) to replace the egg and vegan margarine.
    Really looking forward to trying this. Thanks for posting the recipe for us. 🙂

    Reply

  17. Vimala Vignesh

    thanks so much for the yummy recipe Nags! When I wanted to bake a banana cake/bread today my daughter just came here first to see if you have a recipe!!The result was a yummy delicious dessert!

    Reply

  19. Anonymous

    Hi,This is the first recipe i tried from your blog,really it came out well,sour cream substituted by yogurt, Thank you dear.

    Reply

    • Nagalakshmi V

      hey there, you can try any of the regular egg substitues that we use in cakes – like flax seed meal, vinegar, buttermilk, yogurt. just do a google search for quantities.

      Reply

  22. Nandini

    Hi Nags,
    I have been following your blog for almost 2 years now, I have tried so many recipes and every one has turned out great!
    Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful recipes . Your photographs are absolutely gorgeous! This recipe certainly lives up to its name!
    I feel like I know you so well through your blog even though we are complete strangers!!
    Thank you again and I will be back as I am addicted to your blog!!!!

    Reply

  25. Tastyveedu

    Totally luvd it!Super moist & just the right banana flavour.I thought of adding it to my blog,but unfortunately I didnt wait to get a good cake tin or baking paper ,so obviously..ended up wid half of the cake sticking to the bottom of the pan.So no gud pics,but im definitely going to make this again this weekend and will share the pics with u.

    Reply

  27. Gayathri Ramdas Sreekanth

    Hey Nags..I made this for my dad's bday yday as he was here..and he had his friends over..everyone loveddddd it..! Was such a refreshing change from the usual chocolate..banana flavour was yum and it was my first time at cream cheese frosting..and man..wasn't it awesome..Will be making this one over and over again..

    Reply

  28. Raji Sri Ram

    Hi Nags…just saw ur blogs two days back and this recipe looked so nice and tempting..tried it this morning and it turned out so well..moist and soft.thank u for giving such a wonderful recipe..all ur other recipes look good too..will surely try them out one by one soon..Thank u once again

    Reply

    • Nagalakshmi V

      it's not easy making buttermilk at home. traditionally you would extract butter from the cream (which is collected over day from boiled milk) and get buttermilk as a result. nowadays, the best option to make it at home is to just dilute thick curd/plain yogurt with equal amounts water.

      Reply

  30. suji

    this is my first time of baking cake……. wow , its so soft so nice…. i did without egg… thanks to u for making me tempt to do it….thanks

    Reply

  33. Mitha

    Hi Nags, am a regular visitor here and I love u so much!!!
    after trying out your marble cake, I tried the banana cake recipe of your.
    my family loved it though am not a big fan of bananas!!
    my kiddo liked it a lot.
    by the way what type of banana should we use for making banana cake. I tried nenthra pazham and some njali poovan pazham ( all of them were so black and finding their way to garbage.
    those bananas praise you for given them new life.
    Thanks so much dear !!!
    Now am wondering what to be tried out from ur recipe collection.

    Reply

  34. Rasmi

    Nags, I have been making this from the day you posted it. It serves as my son's breakfast. Recently he told me that he wants it less sweet like bread. So yesterday I made it with 1/2 cup sugar and substituted butter with oil and it came out as a real good banana bread. My aunty said she substitute oil with apple sauce for banana bread, need to experiment that too.

    Reply

  35. Nags

    so glad you like the recipe. this is my favourite banana cake recipe too and toning it down to banana bread is a lovely idea! i have another version of banana bread on this site too, that uses macademia 🙂

    Reply

  36. Nags

    although measuring ingredients is better, i prefer to give cup measurements because its just so much easier. there are some recipes that work much better when ingredients are measured though. glad you like my recipes and pictures 🙂

    Reply

  37. Nags

    I am not sure where you live Rene. I don't think you get sour cream in India (i could be wrong). you can try to substitute with yogurt but the consistency and flavour will change. try and let me know 🙂

    Reply

  38. Rene

    hi ,…nice to see ur page ..i love this..can you please tell me what is sour cream.will we get in supermarkets?..i have'nt yet made a good cake and i am still struggling..i wanna try this one out !!!

    thanks ,
    rene

    Reply

  39. hmker

    The best thing i like about your recipes are all of them are given in cups measurement. Thanks a lot for that. Most websites give the measurements in gms. I don't have a kitchen scale, just doing my baking with cups. Its really helpful for me. Thanks again. BTW wonderful pictures. Loving your photography section.

    Reply

  40. Leya

    A rainy morning, overripe bananas in the fridge,a new browie pan and your amazing photos…what else could I do but make it?!
    And….OH MY GOD, it is divine!I totally agree with your title for this cake. I also have never tasted a better banana cake – Period. To top it off, my extraordinarily fussy 3 year old(who never eats anything sweet, except good quality chocolate) came for a second helping! And all of a sudden, my otherwise glommy day seemed bright and cheerful! Hats off to your recipe – so effortless yet with fantabulous results!

    Reply

  41. Nags

    Leya, so glad you liked the yummiest banana cake recipe on earth 😀 ok i exaggerate but i really love this cake too 🙂

    Reply

  44. Nags

    I am getting a lot of questions on substitutes for cream cheese or what can you use to replace cream cheese in frosting recipe. I feel hung yogurt will come closest in texture if not taste. It won't taste too sour if you use freshly made curd.

    Reply

  46. Nags

    no don't use buttercream for cheesecake, don't think that will be a good combo. You can use buttercream for this banana cake if you wish.

    Heading over to your site now!

    Reply

  48. Nags

    Although its hard to substitute the flavour of cream cheese, you can try substituting the same amount with hung curd (hang about 1 litre curd overnight in a muslin cloth).

    OR

    You can try other frosting recipes like buttercream. This recipe has worked well for me: http://auntyyochana.blogspot.com/2006/10/butter-cream.html

    You can also try a peanut butter frosting, goes well with banana cake! Not sure what a bloggers' marathon is but all I can tell you is, this recipe works super duper well and the cake tastes awesome!! Its very simple to make too!

    Reply

  49. juhi

    hey at last i made it!hehe
    it was vry spongy ya!but u knw wht..d whole cake was like d inner part LOL…i mean d outter part doesnt lookz like urz which was crispy n browny…!no idea y it was like dat…maybe coz of using microwave?anyhw we like it..thanx 4 d recipe n hope 2 bake it in norm oven n get like urs! 🙂

    Reply

  52. Nags

    Yeah you could try using the muffin setting. To be honest, I have never baked in a microwave so I don't know much about what settings to use to bake in a microwave. You can check the microwave manual too.

    Yes, you can replace plain yogurt or even buttermilk in place of sour cream.

    Reply

  54. juhi

    hi nags
    thnx for ur reply!i dont knw much abt this convection baking in microwave..but there are option for muffin…so should i use tht for baking dis cake or else juz start with normal timing?

    Reply

  55. Richa Priyanka

    I make banana bread quite often but it doesnt turn out so good like ur pics.. i always use WW flour and its dense and sometimes dry. Tell me, can i use hung curd for cream cheese? i cant find it anywhere in Blr..

    Reply

  56. Nags

    hung curd would definitely work in terms of consistency but cream cheese has a very delightful flavour which will be missing. i am sure you can find some place where you get philadelphia cream cheese in bangalore. some specialty baking stores or duty free shops, maybe?

    Reply

  57. Nags

    microwave cakes require a different kind of recipe, since i don't really bake in the microwave, i am not sure how you can adapt this banana cake recipe to bake in microwave. does your microwave have convection baking?

    Reply

  58. juhi

    hi nags…

    can we make this cake in microwave instead of oven??normally the cake tht i made in microwave didn;t turn out well,i don;t knw the reason 🙁
    can u plz advise me…

    Reply

  60. valli

    I have been a regular visitor.. but never commented. I made this today and it was really goooooood. Yum. Though in the looks department mine does not come anywhere near that wonderful picture you posted 🙂 tastes great !
    Valli

    Reply

  61. Divya Kudua

    I thought I had commented on this already,but apparently no.I love Banana cakes and always stick to an eggless version.I am taking your word for this and baking this next,will let you know how it turned out!!

    Reply

  68. Rekha

    Nags,
    I visit your site frequently..I like the way you put across your thoughts along with the recipes…

    One question on this cake…We do not eat egg basically…Can we omit the egg? Or, is there any other alternative to it?

    –Rekha

    Reply

  72. Nags

    Thanks Rekha! you can omit the egg and add an extra tbsp of sour cream or 2 tbsp of yogurt. try it and let me know how it turned out cuz i haven't tried it myself 🙂

    Reply

  84. Sakshi

    Only if any of you bakers would shift next door to me!! I promise I would buy you any baking cook book you want…sobs!

    Nags a very very happy new year to you!

    psst psst I met someone in person, who knows you well and I hope you had quiet a few hiccups last week …heee

    Reply

  86. [email protected]

    Feast for my eyes, Nags! Your pics are rocking, just popping out from my laptop. 🙂 Loved the first pic and recipe too of course. The front cover of your cookbook is confirmed me to get a copy for me now. 😀

    Yeah, you're right that Australians loves Banana bread. I often make it for hubby's office mates and they cherish every time of my creation. 🙂

    Reply

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