Old-Fashioned Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
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Per serving
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- 1
Heat the oven and prep the pan
Heat your oven to 350F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan, or line it with a parchment sling so you can lift the cake out later. Set out your butter, eggs, buttermilk, and cream cheese to come to room temperature. Room-temp ingredients blend into a smoother batter and a lump-free frosting, so this small head start really does matter.
- 2
Whisk the dry ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Whisking now spreads the leavening and salt evenly through the flour so the cake rises evenly and there are no bitter baking-soda pockets. Set aside.
- 3
Mash the bananas
Mash the bananas on a plate with a fork until mostly smooth with just a few small lumps; you want about 1 1/2 cups. The riper and browner the bananas, the better: those brown spots are sugar developing, which means more banana flavor and a moister cake.
- 4
Cream the butter and sugar
In a large bowl, beat 3/4 cup of the softened butter with the granulated sugar on medium-high until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. This step beats air into the butter, and those tiny air bubbles are what give the cake its soft, tender lift, so don't rush it. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each, then beat in 2 teaspoons of the vanilla.
- 5
Add the banana
Beat in the mashed banana until combined. The batter may look a little curdled or soupy at this point; that is completely normal with this much fruit, and it comes back together once the flour goes in.
- 6
Combine wet and dry
Add about half of the flour mixture and mix on low just until a few streaks remain. Pour in the buttermilk, mix briefly, then add the rest of the flour mixture. Mix only until no dry flour is left. Overmixing now develops gluten and gives you a tough, gummy cake, so stop as soon as the batter is smooth.
- 7
Bake
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake at 350F for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top springs back when lightly pressed in the center and a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs (not wet batter). If the edges are set but the middle jiggles, give it a few more minutes.
- 8
Cool completely
Let the cake cool all the way to room temperature in the pan, at least an hour. I know it is tempting, but frosting a warm cake just melts the cream cheese frosting into a slippery mess, so be patient here.
- 9
Make the cream cheese frosting
Beat the cream cheese with the remaining 1/2 cup softened butter until completely smooth, scraping the bowl so there are no lumps. Add the powdered sugar about a cup at a time on low speed, then the remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla and a pinch of salt. Beat until fluffy and spreadable. Starting on low keeps the powdered sugar in the bowl instead of all over your kitchen.
- 10
Frost and serve
Spread the frosting over the fully cooled cake in generous swoops. Cut into 15 squares. Because of the cream cheese, store any leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 4 days; let them sit out 15 minutes before serving so the cake softens back up.
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Old-Fashioned Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Created by: SugarAndButter
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cup banana
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 3 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Heat the oven and prep the panHeat your oven to 350F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan, or line it with a parchment sling so you can lift the cake out later. Set out your butter, eggs, buttermilk, and cream cheese to come to room temperature. Room-temp ingredients blend into a smoother batter and a lump-free frosting, so this small head start really does matter.
- Whisk the dry ingredientsIn a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Whisking now spreads the leavening and salt evenly through the flour so the cake rises evenly and there are no bitter baking-soda pockets. Set aside.
- Mash the bananasMash the bananas on a plate with a fork until mostly smooth with just a few small lumps; you want about 1 1/2 cups. The riper and browner the bananas, the better: those brown spots are sugar developing, which means more banana flavor and a moister cake.
- Cream the butter and sugarIn a large bowl, beat 3/4 cup of the softened butter with the granulated sugar on medium-high until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. This step beats air into the butter, and those tiny air bubbles are what give the cake its soft, tender lift, so don't rush it. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each, then beat in 2 teaspoons of the vanilla.
- Add the bananaBeat in the mashed banana until combined. The batter may look a little curdled or soupy at this point; that is completely normal with this much fruit, and it comes back together once the flour goes in.
- Combine wet and dryAdd about half of the flour mixture and mix on low just until a few streaks remain. Pour in the buttermilk, mix briefly, then add the rest of the flour mixture. Mix only until no dry flour is left. Overmixing now develops gluten and gives you a tough, gummy cake, so stop as soon as the batter is smooth.
- BakeScrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake at 350F for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top springs back when lightly pressed in the center and a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs (not wet batter). If the edges are set but the middle jiggles, give it a few more minutes.
- Cool completelyLet the cake cool all the way to room temperature in the pan, at least an hour. I know it is tempting, but frosting a warm cake just melts the cream cheese frosting into a slippery mess, so be patient here.
- Make the cream cheese frostingBeat the cream cheese with the remaining 1/2 cup softened butter until completely smooth, scraping the bowl so there are no lumps. Add the powdered sugar about a cup at a time on low speed, then the remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla and a pinch of salt. Beat until fluffy and spreadable. Starting on low keeps the powdered sugar in the bowl instead of all over your kitchen.
- Frost and serveSpread the frosting over the fully cooled cake in generous swoops. Cut into 15 squares. Because of the cream cheese, store any leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 4 days; let them sit out 15 minutes before serving so the cake softens back up.