This moist banana cake is a soft, sweet sheet cake recipe flavored with ripe bananas and a hint of tangy buttermilk. I frosted this cake with fluffy brown butter cream cheese frosting and finished it with a sprinkle of crunchy nuts. It’s seriously incredible, I could hardly put my fork down.
Banana Cake with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
This homemade banana cake is moist and fruity, smothered in fluffy brown butter cream cheese frosting. The nutty, tangy richness of the frosting pairs SO WELL with the sweetness of the bananas! I can’t believe I’ve never tried brown butter cream cheese frosting before.
The original version of this banana cake was a layer cake, loosely based on the naturally sweetened banana cake I used to make this dinosaur cake for my youngest son’s 1st birthday. I’ve adjusted it to a sheet cake and swapped out the natural sweeteners for traditional ones. This will be a cake I will be making for years to come.
I Am Obsessed with This Banana Cake Recipe
- Soft, banana-filled crumb. This banana cake is so good that I could eat it on its own! It’s soft and dense, a bit like my favorite banana bread, with bananas and sour cream to help keep the crumb super moist.
- Great for all occasions. This decadent banana cake recipe is great for just about any occasion: baby showers, Easter brunch, Mother’s Day, you name it. It also makes the perfect birthday cake for the banana lover in your life!
- Browned butter frosting. If you’ve never made brown butter before, it’s going to knock your socks off! It’s a simple technique that brings rich, nutty flavor to all sorts of desserts. If you don’t love cream cheese frosting, then I would use this brown butter frosting instead. You still get the great flavor of the brown butter but in a traditional American buttercream.
Cake and Frosting Ingredient Notes
This recipe needs only some baking staples (flour, sugar, leavening), plus a handful of key ingredients to create a moist cake bursting with banana flavor. These are some quick notes. You’ll find a complete list of ingredients with amounts in the printable recipe card below the post.
- Bananas – You’ll need about 3 medium-sized bananas. The more ripe they are, the better! The best bananas for baking have brown spots on the peels. Mash them up before you start.
- All-purpose flour – The flour should be measured first and then sifted to remove any clumps and to better incorporate into the batter.
- Buttermilk – Buttermilk is my “secret” ingredient for an extra moist, flavorful banana cake. If you don’t have any on hand, make a homemade buttermilk substitute with whole milk and vinegar (or lemon juice). You’ll want the buttermilk to come to room temperature before you start.
- Butter – This is a variation of cream cheese frosting made with browned butter. Browning butter is easy and adds extra richness. I include the steps later on, and in the recipe card.
- Cream Cheese – I recommend full-fat, room-temperature cream cheese.
- Nuts (optional) – Chopped nuts are an optional garnish, but I love the texture they add to the frosted banana cake. You can use raw or toasted walnuts or pecans. To toast the nuts, bake them in a 350ºF oven in a single layer for 5-10 minutes.
- Cinnamon (optional)– You could also use ground nutmeg. Just a pinch is all you need.
How to Make Banana Cake
The steps for this banana cake recipe are very easy. Check out an overview here, and scroll to the recipe card for printable instructions.
My #1 Tip For Banana Recipes
Measure out the bananas AFTER mashing. Adding more or less banana changes the flavor, texture, and moisture of the cake. It’s best to get as close to 1 ½ cups of mashed banana as possible.
- Combine the wet ingredients. First, combine mashed bananas with the other wet ingredients, and then cream that together with both sugars.
- Add the dry ingredients. Sift the flour and remaining dry ingredients into a separate bowl. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet batter, alternating with buttermilk to help everything come together.
- Bake. Pour the batter into a greased 9×13” cake pan. Bake the cakes at 350ºF for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick stuck into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake layers cool completely while you make your frosting.
Now, Make the Frosting
I didn’t think my OG cream cheese frosting could get much better, but I was wrong! Browning the butter adds a subtle, warm flavor to the frosting. My standard frosting recipe calls for cold cream cheese, but since the brown butter consistency is different than a stick of butter, you want the cream cheese to be at room temperature for this version.
It helps to prepare the brown butter ahead of time (see further down below). Otherwise, you’ll need to budget an extra 30 minutes or so for the butter to cool before making the frosting. I have an in-depth tutorial on how to brown butter with tips and a video that walks you through it. It’s a really simple process!
- Brown the butter. The trick to browning butter is to heat it in a pan and swirl it often as it boils. The bubbles turn from a rapid boil to tight and foamy. At this point it’ll give off a nutty aroma and turn deep amber in color as the milk solids start to toast. Remove the butter from the heat and transfer to a bowl to cool to a soft solid state. Afterward, give it a good stir to reincorporate those milk solids back into the butter.
- Make the frosting. Now, beat the browned butter with a paddle attachment until it’s whipped and fluffy. Beat in cubed cream cheese, and gradually mix in the powdered sugar followed by vanilla and salt. Voila! Your browned butter frosting is ready to use.
- Frost the cake. Spread your brown butter cream cheese frosting over the cooled cake, and garnish with chopped nuts.
How to Tell the Brown Butter is Ready to Use
The butter is first browned and then cooled to a semi-firm state in the refrigerator. You should still be able to stir the butter together with a spoon before mixing (reference the photo below). Ideally the butter is NOT completly firm. When the water evaporates from the butter and it’s rechilled to a solid, it get very firm due to the lack of water.
Brown the Butter Ahead of Time
Prepare your browned butter a day or two before and keep it refrigerated and airtight until you’re ready to use it. The butter will turn solid again in the fridge, so warm it in the microwave for a few seconds at a time until it’s chilled, but still stirrable. If you’re browning the butter in advance and plan to use it the same day, just let it sit on the counter to cool.
Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions
- Storing a Frosted Cake. Store the frosted banana cake covered airtight at room temperature for 1-2 days. If your kitchen is on the warmer side, consider keeping the frosted cake in the fridge, and serve it at room temperature.
- Make-ahead instructions for the cake. If you’d like to make this banana cake ahead of time, I recommend that you bake it, let it cool, and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Store the wrapped cake at room temperature for 1-2 days, then frost.
- Make-ahead instructions for the frosting. Separately, if you wish to prepare the frosting more than 1 day in advance, keep it refrigerated in an airtight container. Bring the frosting back to room temperature before frosting the cake. You may need to rewhip it again in the mixer before frosting the cake.
More Ways to Decorate a Banana Cake
This banana cake would taste amazing with my chocolate cream cheese frosting, too. Or, if you don’t like cream cheese, try my original brown butter frosting or any of the ideas you see here. For some extra indulgence, drizzle the finished cake with homemade salted caramel sauce or chocolate ganache, or save time with a jar of your favorite store-bought caramel sauce or chocolate syrup.
More Banana Recipes
Banana Cake with Browned Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
- Prep Time: 50 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 12 minutes
- Yield: 15 slices
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Description
This easy banana cake has soft and sweet layers filled with fluffy browned butter frosting and crunchy walnuts, finished with a salted caramel drizzle.
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1 1/2 cups mashed banana (about 3 medium bananas)
- ½ cup (118ml) vegetable oil
- 2 Large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons (10ml) pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (143g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (56g) light brown sugar
- 3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour, sifted
- 2 teaspoons (8g) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon (4g) baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Pinch of cinnamon (optional)
- 1 cup (236ml) Buttermilk, at room temperature
For the Frosting
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, browned and cooled
- 8 ounces (226g) full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
- 3 ½–4 cups (390-520g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) pure vanilla extract (or 1 tsp extract and 1 tsp spiced rum)
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) spiced rum (optional– replace with vanilla extract)
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup chopped nuts (toasted walnuts or pecans)- optional
Instructions
For the cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch pan with cooking spray or shortening.
- In a large mixing bowl, mash and measure the bananas then combine with the oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed until well incorporated. Scrape down the bowl as needed. Next mix beat in the sugars until well combined.
- In a separate bowl combine the remaining dry ingredients and sift. Add half the dry ingredients, and half the buttermilk and beat on low speed just until the flour starts to incorporate. Add remaining ingredients (dry and liquid). Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl and stir the batter from the bottom to the top to ensure it’s well mixed.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes. Test the cake for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cake, it should be completely dry. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
For the Frosting
- Cut the butter into 1 tablespoon sized pieces and place in a saucepan. Turn the stovetop on to medium-low heat slowly bringing the butter to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once boiling, the bubbles will go from big to small, and once the milk solids start to turn golden brown, stir constantly until the golden color starts to darken. Immediately remove from the heat and pour into a heatproof bowl.
- Refrigerate the browned butter for 20-30 minutes until it solidifies but it’s not too hard. This can also be placed in the freezer to speed up the process. Once chilled, stir the browned butter together with a spoon until the milk solids are mixed back into the butter.
- Using the paddle attachment, whip the butter for 5-7 minutes, scraping down the bowl occasionally until the butter reached a whipped and fluffy consistency and it’s easily spreadable.
- Next, cube the cream cheese and beat together with the butter until it’s well combined and free of lumps.
- Add the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, mixing to combine before adding more and add in the vanilla extract, rum and salt together with the powdered sugar. Reserve the last ½ cup of powdered sugar, and only add if needed for a thicker consistency. Spread over cooled cake. Garnish with chopped pecan or walnuts if desired.
Notes
- The original layer cake recipe was from Better Homes and Gardens. You can download the recipe here.
- Homemade buttermilk: If you don’t have any buttermilk add 1 tablespoons lemon juice or vinegar to a measuring cup and then fill with milk to the 1 cup line.
- Toast the Nuts: For added flavor, lightly toast the nuts for 5-10 minutes after the cake is done baking.
Storage and Make-Ahead Options
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- Storing a Frosted Cake. Store the frosted banana cake covered airtight at room temperature for 1-2 days. If your kitchen is on the warmer side, consider keeping the frosted cake in the fridge, and serve it at room temperature.
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- Prepare the cake ahead of time. Bake and cool completely and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Cover the top with parchment paper to prevent sticking. Store the wrapped cake at room temperature for 1-2 days, then frost.
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- Prepare the frosting ahead of time. Separately, if you wish to prepare the frosting more than 1 day in advance, keep it refrigerated in an airtight container. Bring the frosting back to room temperature before frosting the cake. You may need to re-whip it again in the mixer before frosting the cake.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice
- Calories: 491
- Sugar: 45.1 g
- Sodium: 259.3 mg
- Fat: 22.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 68.4 g
- Fiber: 1.7 g
- Protein: 5.5 g
- Cholesterol: 58.1 mg
These are so, so delicious! I made the normal high altitude adjustments for my area (reduced sugar, baking soda & powder). I made cupcakes, they needed about 20 minutes to bake.
I added a couple tablespoons of milk powder to the butter to up the browned butter goodness. The end result was amazing!
Hi Kerri! Thank you for sharing your alterations for high altitude needs. I am glad to know these baked well for cupcakes.
I’ve made this cake a couple times and it’s Amazing! Light, fluffy, and tasty. Now it’s my go to cake for special occasions. The only thing I changed was the vanilla; I used vanilla bean paste instead of extract. Use lightly though, its packed with flavor. The rum extract was an awesome and definitely made a huge difference. Thank you so much for sharing
Oh I am so happy to hear that Debby! I truly love this cake too!
It was a HUGE hit at my church’s coffee hour, and I have a new favorite frosting. The brown butter made such a huge delicious difference!
Oh that’s amazing Dottie! Thanks so much!
This is a very scrumptious cake but it bakes very very thick. As in it rises very tall, I almost think it needs to be in a larger than 9×13 pan. I used the regular cream cheese buttercreme frosting which was very good! I will definitely make this recipe again, it’s very tasty !!
Hi Sue, thank you for sharing, I am glad you enjoyed the cake. I personally enjoy the thickness because the cake is still fairly light.
This cake was delicious! I loved everything about it!
Amazing, thank you so much!
Heaven, I’m in banana Heaven
And the icing on the top just can’t be beat
As I add the roasted nuts on top
Defeat
But it’s welcome as I’m eating bite by bite!
Love Love Love This !!
Oh my gosh, this comment has me laughing out loud, thank you so much!
I made this cake and holy cow is it good. So moist and not overly sweet. I am making another one this evening for dessert. Perfect fall cake and better than banana bread. You should make this cake !
Oh yeah!!! I love that! This cake was so good, I had to giveaway the leftovers ASAP otherwise I would have nibbled on it all day LOL
We made this last weekend for a birthday. We made it 1 1/2x for a 3 layer cake. So many came back for seconds and said it was the best cake they ever had! I wish I could send a picture!
Love that so much!! Thank you Martha!
Thanks for sharing Bonnie. I will say I think the rum makes the frosting that much better for me, but it’s not for everyone.
Hi Cindy- I apologize- I created this years ago for Better Homes and Garden’s blog and they have taken down the blog, thus making it very difficult to find what you’re looking for. So I’ve recreated and posted a recipe which you should be able to print now.