Name: Old Fashioned Banana Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 27 min
Total time: 42 min
Ingredients: 1½ cups cake/pastry flour; 1 teaspoon baking powder; ½ teaspoon baking soda; ¼ teaspoon salt; ⅓ cup butter (softened); ¾ cup brown sugar (lightly packed); ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 large egg (room temperature); 2 medium mashed bananas (ripe to very ripe); 2 tablespoons sour milk ** (or buttermilk if you prefer); ¼ cup butter; ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon cream cheese (whole fat cream cheese); 2 1/2 cups icing / powdered sugar; ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 tablespoons cream (any type of cream)

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This Banana Cake is an old-fashioned recipe that cannot get any better. Moist and delicious, perfect on its own or frosted! Eat it as a snack cake or even dessert. You’ll let those bananas ripen just to make this cake!

Banana cake in a pan with 2 slices on black plates and frosting on one slice.

This is the perfect cake to use all those left over ripe bananas. Believe me this Easy Banana Cake Recipe will become a family favourite and the kids are going to love it.

I can’t tell you how many times I have made this now. When my husband sees bananas just a tad overripe, his first question is “are you making that cake today”?

Recipe Ingredients

For the Cake

Flour – cake or pastry flour
Baking powder
Baking soda
Salt
Butter – softened
Brown sugar – lightly packed light brown sugar
Vanilla – vanilla extract
Egg – large egg room temperature
Bananas – 2 bananas mashed
Sour milk – mix the milk with lemon juice or vinegar or you can substitute with buttermilk

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

Butter – softened butter I use salted butter
Cream cheese – whole fat cream cheese
Powdered sugar – also known as icing or confectioners’ sugar
Vanilla – vanilla extract
Cream – any type of cream

How to Make Cake Flour

For every cup of all purpose flour, remove two tablespoons and replace with two tablespoons of corn starch. Be sure to sift the flour and cornstarch together a couple of times, this way it is sure to be properly combined and lump free. Cake flour in cakes will give you a very tender texture and fine crumb, it will also help the cake to rise.

Why use room temperature ingredients?

When at room temperature, eggs, butter, and other dairy ingredients form an emulsion which traps air. While baking in the oven, that trapped air expands and produces a fluffy baked good. So be sure to remove the ingredients from the fridge 45-60 minutes before baking.

Cake on wire rack and a slice on a black plate with frosting.

How to make a Banana Cake

In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a medium bowl or stand mixer using the flat beaters beat together butter, sugar and vanilla, until light and fluffy (approximately 3 minutes), add the egg and beat, add the mashed bananas and beat to combine.

dry ingredients and banana mixture for the banana cake — dry ingredients and banana mixture

To the creamed mixture alternately add the dry ingredients with the sour milk, beat on high until smooth.

Pour into prepared cake pan and bake for approximately 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached. Let cool completely before frosting.

banana cake ready for baking — Cake ready for baking

How to make cream cheese frosting

In a medium bowl beat butter and cream cheese until creamy approximately one minute. Add icing sugar a little at a time, continue beating, add the cream beat approximately 3 minutes until fluffy.

Depending how you like your frosting, if too thin add more powdered sugar, if too thick add a drop of cream.

Just how good is this Banana Cake?

Dinner the other night with friends, I put the Banana Cake on the table and our chef friend commented “ahh the cake”! So yeah it’s a good one.

Why Old Fashioned you ask? Because it is a really old recipe, from my Mom’s collection. Sometimes you just can’t beat those.

What size pan to use for baking the Cake?

I used an 8 inch square cake pan but an 9 inch round would work too. Or why not 2 smaller cakes and make a layer cake? You could also make 12 standard size cupcakes, although they will take a shorter amount of time to bake, approximately 18-20 minutes.

I have also made a Classic Banana Bread another yummy Banana Chocolate Chip Crumb Cake but I am telling you this is the one!

Cake on a wire rack and frosting in a black bowl.

The Best Topping for a Banana Cake

One thing about this cake is it’s perfect on its own or even frosted. Italians aren’t that crazy about frosting on a cake, so even a dusting of powdered sugar is perfect too!

I usually make enough frosting for me, because I love the stuff, especially a simple delicate Cream Cheese Frosting. Or how about a Chocolate Frosting?

You could also top it with a simple Streusel Topping before baking, or drizzle the cooled cake with a Caramel Sauce.

How to Store a Baked Banana Cake

The baked cake will keep a day or two in an airtight container at room temperature or one week in the fridge. Bring it to room temperature before serving.

If the cake is frosted then it definitely should be refrigerated.

How to freeze the cake

Carefully wrap the unfrosted completely cooled cake in a double layer of plastic wrap and then place in a freezer bag, it will keep up to 3 months in the freezer.

Whether you are making this Banana Cake for Dessert or Snack, Frosted or Plain I really hope you enjoy it as much as we do. Enjoy!

Cake on a black plate with frosting on top.

More Delicious Banana Recipes

Old Fashioned Banana Cake

Rosemary Molloy

Old Fashioned Banana Cake the best and easy Cake Recipe, the perfect dessert or snack cake. Frosted or Plain it’s perfect.

4.74 from 34 votes

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 27

Total Time 42

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Servings servings

Calories 402 kcal

Ingredients

BANANA CAKE

1½ cups cake/pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup butter (softened)
¾ cup brown sugar (lightly packed)
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg (room temperature)
2 medium mashed bananas (ripe to very ripe)
2 tablespoons sour milk ** (or buttermilk if you prefer)

For room temperature ingredients remove from the fridge 45-60 minutes before using.

**** mix together 2 tablespoons milk and 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice, let sit 10-15 minutes.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

¼ cup butter
¼ cup + 1 tablespoon cream cheese (whole fat cream cheese)
2 1/2 cups icing / powdered sugar
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cream (any type of cream)

Instructions

BANANA CAKE

Pre-heat oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease and flour an 8 inch square or 9 inch round cake pan.
In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a medium bowl beat together butter, sugar and vanilla, until light and fluffy (approximately 3 minutes), add the egg and beat, add the mashed bananas and beat to combine.
To the creamed mixture alternately add the dry ingredients with the sour milk, beat on high until smooth.
Pour into prepared cake pan and bake for approximately 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached. Let cool completely before frosting. Enjoy!

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

In a medium bowl beat butter and cream cheese until creamy approximately one minute. Add icing sugar a little at a time, continue beating, add the cream beat approximately 3 minutes until fluffy. Depending how you like your frosting, if too thin add more powdered sugar, if too thick add a drop of cream.

Notes

To make homemade pastry/cake flour, for every cup of all purpose flour remove 2 tablespoons and substitute with cornstarch. Sift them together to remove any lumps.

You could also make 12 standard size cupcakes, although they will take a shorter amount of time to bake, approximately 18-20 minutes.

The baked cake will keep a day or two in an airtight container at room temperature or one week in the fridge. Bring it to room temperature before serving. If the cake is frosted then it definitely should be refrigerated.

Carefully wrap the unfrosted completely cooled cake in a double layer of plastic wrap and then place in a freezer bag, it will keep up to 3 months in the freezer.

Nutrition

Calories: 402kcalCarbohydrates: 65gProtein: 3gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 55mgSodium: 240mgPotassium: 183mgFiber: 1gSugar: 48gVitamin A: 490IUVitamin C: 2.1mgCalcium: 52mgIron: 0.5mg

Keyword banana cake, banana cake dessert recipe, banana cake recipe, fast and easy banana cake, homemade banana cake, old fashioned banana cake

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Republished from January 4, 2018.

Old Fashioned Banana Cake