The Best Banana Cake Recipe - Moist, tender, and bursting with banana flavor, this cake is a true crowd-pleaser. Topped with homemade cream cheese frosting, it's a decadent treat that's perfect for any occasion. Whether enjoyed as a sweet finale to a special dinner or an afternoon snack, this cake is sure to leave you craving more.
Preheat the oven to 275˚F. Grease a 13- x 9-inch baking pan.
In a small bowl, mix the mashed bananas and lemon juice.
Beat the butter with a mixer at medium speed until creamy. Gradually add the sugar, beating well. Add the vanilla and eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, alternately with the buttermilk. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition, scraping down bowl as needed. Stir in the banana mixture. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack, or place the cake in the the freezer for 45 minutes for faster cooling.
Cream Cheese Frosting
Beat the butter and cream cheese with a mixer at medium-high speed until creamy, 3 minutes. Gradually add the powdered sugar at low speed until blended. Increase the speed to medium. Add the vanilla and salt. Beat 1 minute until light and fluffy. Spread the frosting on top of the cake.
Notes:
Is 275ºF the correct cooking temperature? Yes! The cake bakes at a low temperature. Trust me, it turns out wonderful!
Make sure to use very ripe bananas in the cake. The more brown spots mean the bananas will be sweeter and have more banana flavor!
For best results, have all your ingredients at room temperature before making the cake batter.
Add chopped walnuts or chopped pecans to the batter.
Can I freeze Banana Cake? Yes! It is best to freeze the cake unfrosted. Let the cake cool to room temperature, then wrap the whole cake in plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Thaw the cake at room temperature, then layer on the cream cheese frosting.
If you don't want to make this into a sheet pan, you can divide the batter into two round 9″ cake pans and bake like that to make a layer cake. Make sure to check on the cakes at the 30-minute mark. If they are still jiggly in the middle, give it another 5-10 minutes.
You can also make this recipe into cupcakes.
Store the cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Bring the cake to room temperature before serving.