Today we are making this delicious and oh so creamy banana cream cake! It's like banana cream pie, but in a rich cake form! Yumm.
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Banana cream pie is a favorite classic for a reason. It's delicious and smooth and gives a mundane fruit, like the banana, instant sophistication.
To be honest, I'm not always a fan of banana desserts. But for this delicious cake I'm willing to make an exception.
And this is the best banana cake recipe. It's got delicious layers of moist banana cake, with banana cream stuffed between the cake layers and topped with sliced bananas.
The cake itself is banana flavored, and tastes more like a banana bread. But the icing is rich and creamy and tastes a lot like banana cream pie filling.
If you enjoy this cake recipe be sure to check out some of our other favorite cakes, like our orange pound cake or our fun mint chocolate chip cake.
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What You'll Love About This Recipe
- Rich Banana Flavor: Made with real bananas in the batter and topped with fresh banana slices, this cake is a dream come true for banana lovers.
- Creamy and Luscious: The velvety banana cream filling and fluffy frosting make each bite melt-in-your-mouth delicious.
- Perfect for Special Occasions: Whether it’s a birthday, anniversary, or just a weekend treat, this cake is sure to impress and delight your guests.
Ingredients
For this recipe, we'll need to split the ingredients into two separate areas. One for the banana cake layers and the other for the banana cream icing.
For the Cake
All purpose flour: For the base of the cake
Granulated sugar: To sweeten the cake
Butter: Unsalted butter, brought to room temperature
Eggs: Add structure to your cake
Buttermilk: Buttermilk has a tangy flavor and helps keep the cake from being too sweet. It gives it a nice rich texture and buttery flavor. It also helps the cake rise.
Baking soda: To help the cake rise
Baking powder: To help the cake rise
Vanilla extract: To add a subtle vanilla flavor that will enhance the rest of the flavors of the cake.
Banana extract: To add more banana flavor to your cake
Bananas: Very ripe bananas, or even over ripe bananas will add sweetness and even more banana flavor than unripe bananas.
Salt: A small amount of salt will enhance all of the banana and vanilla flavors of the cake.
For the Banana Cream Icing
The icing is a cream cheese frosting with big banana cream flavor.
Cream cheese: Softened to room temperature. Although you could make the icing with cold cream cheese, it'll be lumpy and a little ugly.
Butter: Unsalted, softened to room temperature
Milk: You can use any kind of milk here or even cream!
Banana extract: To add banana flavor.
Powdered sugar: Will blend smoothly into your cream cheese and create a tasty icing.
Salt: A small pinch of salt will bring out the other flavors of the icing.
If you don't have banana extract, you can substitute it for vanilla. It won't be as banana-y but it'll still be delicious!
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
To get started making this banana cake, we'll start by making the cake batter.
Start by preheating your oven, then preparing an 8-inch layer cake pan by greasing it well. The cake pans with higher sides work best for this recipe.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, cream together the sugar and butter until smooth.
Add the buttermilk both the vanilla and banana extract. Mix everything until well combined.
Add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition until combined.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
In a large mixing bowl, alternate adding dry and wet ingredients, mixing until thoroughly combined.
Fold in the mashed bananas.
Finally, pour the banana cake batter into your prepared pan and bake on center rack until your cake is golden brown and a tooth pick comes out clean.
When your cake has finished baking, remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool, then remove from pan.
Using a serrated knife or a cake divider, cut cake in half horizontally.
Now that your cake is all ready, we'll start work on the icing.
Mix together the cream cheese, butter, milk and extract until the icing is light and fluffy.
Slowly add in the powdered sugar, a little at a time, mixing until smooth and creamy.
Grab your cake and generously ice bottom layer of cake with the banana cream frosting, stopping at the edge.
Gently place the top layer of the cake onto the iced bottom layer. Then ice the top layer generously, stopping at edge of the cake.
Chill in the fridge until icing is firm before slicing and serving.
Because of the cream cheese, make sure to store your cake in the fridge.
Substitutions
- Buttermilk Substitute: If you don't have buttermilk, mix 1 cup of whole milk with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar. Let it sit for 5 minutes before using it in the recipe.
- Banana Puree for Oil: For a lower-fat version, replace half of the oil in the cake batter with additional banana puree. This enhances the banana flavor while reducing the fat content.
- Different Sugars: Swap white sugar for brown sugar in the cake batter for a deeper, caramel-like sweetness that complements the banana flavor.
Variations
Chocolate Banana Cream Cake: Add a layer of chocolate ganache between the cake layers or mix chocolate chips into the batter for a delightful chocolate twist.
Nutty Banana Cake: Incorporate chopped walnuts or pecans into the batter and sprinkle some on top for added crunch and flavor.
Caramel Banana Cake: Drizzle caramel sauce over each layer of banana cream for a rich, gooey sweetness that complements the banana flavor.
Equipment
- Cake Pans: You’ll need two or three 9-inch round cake pans for the layers.
- Mixer: A stand mixer or hand mixer is essential for creaming together ingredients and achieving a light, fluffy batter and frosting.
- Spatula: A spatula will help to evenly spread the banana cream and frosting.
- Cake Stand or Plate: For assembling and serving the cake attractively.
Storage
Refrigerate: As the cake contains banana cream and frosting, it should be refrigerated. Cover it loosely with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Freezing: Freeze individual slices on a baking sheet before transferring to a freezer-safe container or bag. It can be stored for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Top tip
Share something here that you think is key to making this recipe well, such as: Don't overcook the burgers! Sear the outside and cook to a minimum internal temperature, but they should still be juicy for best results.
FAQ
Yes, you can use frozen bananas. Thaw them completely and drain any excess liquid before mashing and adding to the batter to avoid making it too watery.
The cake is done when it's golden-brown on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached, but no wet batter.
Yes, you can bake the cake layers 1-2 days ahead and keep them wrapped tightly in plastic wrap at room temperature. Assemble with the cream and frosting on the day of serving.
Brush the banana slices with a little lemon juice or cover them with a thin layer of the frosting to minimize exposure to air and prevent browning.
If the banana cream is too runny, you can chill it in the refrigerator for a few hours to firm up. If it's still too thin, whip in a small amount of additional powdered sugar or cream cheese to thicken it.
More Great Cake Recipes
Looking for other yummy cake recipes like this? Try these:
Recipe
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Banana Cream Cake
Ingredients
For the cake
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ cup butter at room temperature
- 3 eggs at room temperature
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon banana extract
- 3 bananas mashed
For the icing
- 8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- ½ cup butter at room temperature
- 3 teaspoon milk or cream
- 1 teaspoon banana extract can use vanilla
- 1½ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease an 8-inch layer cake pan. The ones with higher sides work best.
- In mixing bowl, combine sugar and butter until smooth and creamy
- Add buttermilk and extracts. Mix until combined.
- Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition until combined.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt.
- In a large mixing bowl, alternate adding dry and wet ingredients, mixing until thoroughly combined.
- Fold in mashed bananas.
- Pour into prepared pan and bake on center rack of oven for approx. 50 minutes or
until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. - Remove to wire rack to cool, then remove from pan.
- Using a bread knife or a cake divider, cut cake in half horizontally
- Next, prepare the icing. Mix together: cream cheese, butter, milk and extract until light and fluffy.
- Slowly add powdered sugar, a little at a time, mixing until smooth and creamy.
- Generously ice bottom layer of cake, stopping at the edge.
- Place top layer on iced bottom layer. Ice top layer generously, stopping at edge.
- Chill until icing is firmed up before slicing
Notes
Nutrition
Did you like our banana cream layer cake? If so let us know!
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