Fresh Banana Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
This Fresh Banana Cake is moist and flavorful like any good made-from-scratch banana cake should be, and it’s topped with a fluffy cinnamon cream cheese frosting. Your friends & family will devour this delicious cake.

Each and every time I make this Banana Cake, it takes me back to my teenage years when my mom and I would bake this cake together on a Saturday. We would slice and serve it the following day after eating our Sunday lunch, after church. My mom would always serve a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side as well. My brother-in-law and I would sit on the front porch and entertain everyone with our singing and guitars while they enjoyed their cake and ice cream. We often did the same with homemade fresh strawberry cake.

When you think about it, any cake made from fruit should be full of delicious fruity flavor and they should be moist and dense from all that fruit, but some cakes tend to be too heavy. That’s why I like this cake. It’s moist and dense and incredibly flavorful, yet it’s not too heavy.

WHAT MAKES A GREAT BANANA CAKE
Buttermilk – Buttermilk adds moisture and a bit of tang to the cake.
Cinnamon – Cinnamon, and bananas are like best friends. One should never be without the other. They greatly complement each other.
Brown Sugar – Brown sugar also pairs great with bananas. Brown sugar adds a slight caramel-like note to the cake as well as added moisture.
Granulated Sugar – The white sugar contributes to sweetness, but it also helps in the rising of a cake. When white sugar gets mixed with eggs, butter, and liquids, the sugar creates thousands of tiny air bubbles. During the baking process, the bubbles expand and help the batter to rise.
Salt – Salt might not sound like an important ingredient but it is. It sort of works like the balancer in a sweet recipe. Any sweet recipe needs a little bit of salt to offset all of the sweetness, plus salt helps to enhance the other flavors in a recipe, such as the bananas in this recipe.
Very Ripe Bananas – The secret to a full-flavored banana cake is very ripe bananas. The ones you might not necessarily want to eat but are great in baked goods made with bananas. The more ripe and spotty, the more sweet and flavorful.
And did I mention the frosting? OMG!

The Cream Cheese Frosting is simply to die for! The frosting is a combination of cream cheese, butter, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, powdered sugar, and some half & half for easy spreading consistency. Talk about melt in your mouth delectable, this frosting sends an already moist and delicious cake right over the top.

You might also like Old Fashioned Sour Cream Banana Bars
If you make this recipe please rate it, and leave a comment below on how you liked it. I love getting your feedback! 🙂
Wanna see different recipes each day? Feel free to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, & Instagram.
Print
Fresh Banana Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
- Prep Time: 30 Minutes
- Cook Time: 45 Minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 12–13 slices 1x
- Category: Cakes
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Banana Cake is moist and flavorful like any made from scratch banana cake should be, and it’s topped with a fluffy cinnamon cream cheese frosting. Your friends & family will devour this delicious cake.
Ingredients
Cake
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups very ripe mashed bananas, about 3 very large or 4 medium
- 1 1/2 cups full-fat buttermilk
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
- 12 ounces cream cheese, softened, 1 1/2 packages
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted real butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 3 to 4 tablespoons half & half, as needed for the perfect consistency
Instructions
Cake
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Line two 9 inch cake pans with rounds of wax paper. Lightly grease and flour the insides of the pans and the wax paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt & cinnamon, and set aside.
- Add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or use a hand mixer. Beat the butter on medium-high speed until it’s light and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the vegetable oil, sugars, and vanilla and mix on medium speed until all the ingredients are well combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the bananas and mix on medium speed long enough to incorporate. Add the dry ingredients and buttermilk in alternately in thirds, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides and bottom of bowl as needed. Mix the last addition of dry ingredients just long enough to incorporate. Do not over mix.
- Divide the batter equally between the two cake pans. Tap the pans gently on a counter-top to release any air bubbles. Bake cakes on a middle oven rack until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean, about 45 to 50 minutes. The tops should also be golden brown.
- Allow cakes to cool for about 5 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the edges to make sure cakes are loosened from the pans. Invert cakes onto wire racks and allow to cool completely before frosting.
Frosting
- Add the cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer, using the whisk attachment, (or use a hand mixer). Beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed until it’s smooth and creamy and free of any lumps. Add the butter, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon and mix on medium speed until all ingredients are incorporated and the mixture is smooth and creamy. Add 2 cups of the powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of the half & half and mix on medium speed until well combined. Add the last two cups of powdered sugar and mix again until well combined. Add the last 2 tablespoons of half & half, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the frosting is a perfect consistency. It should be creamy and thick enough for easy spreading, yet not too stiff.
- Run your hands around each cake layer to remove any loose crumbs. Place 1 cake layer on a cake plate or stand. Spread approximately 1/3 of the frosting over the cake layer. Place the 2nd layer on top of the frosted layer. Spread a second 3rd of the frosting over the top of the cake, and use the remaining frosting to frost the sides. I use a large offset spatula for frosting the cake. This frosting is so creamy and easy to work with. I used a teaspoon and made upward swoops on the sides of the cake, then I used the spoon to make circular swoops on the top of the cake.
- Refrigerate cake until ready to serve. Also refrigerate the cake for at least 1 hour before slicing or serving, for easy slicing. I also think cream cheese frosting tastes best when it’s cold.
- Store refrigerated in an air tight container for up to 5 days.
Notes
- This cake can also be baked in three 8-inch cake pans. It can be baked in a 9 x 13 inch pan and will take approximately 50 minutes.
I really want to make this, but I only have 1 cup of buttermilk and only 2 ripe bananas. I’m too lazy to go to the store. Should I even try?
Hi Elisa,
You can add a couple of teaspoons of vinegar to 1/2 cup of regular milk and let it sit for 5 minutes. As far as the bananas, they are the star of the show. If you don’t have enough, you won’t taste that much of the banana flavor. I hope this helps! 🙂
This part in the 3rd step: “Add the dry ingredients and buttermilk in alternately in thirds, starting and ending with the dry ingredients.”
I’m confused because weren’t the dry ingredients alr6mixed with the butter, oil, sugars, extract, eggs and bananas? What are the dry ingredients you’re referring to? At this point was I not supposed to add the bannas etc to the flour, cinnamon, baking powder and soda?
Hi William, No it should be as noted. The bananas get added before the dry ingredients. The dry ingredients and buttermilk get added last. The dry ingredients are flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. I hope this clarifies things for you.
Could I use a 9×13 cake pan ?
Hi Carol, You can. However, this cake is dense cake and it may take longer to get done in the center. I recommend covering it with foil once the top is browned until the center gets baked through.
How many calories per slice and could these be done as cupcakes?
Hi Charlotte, These can be done as cupcakes, but I’m not sure how many calories.
The quantity of bananas and buttermilk doesn’t seem to add up right, I’m in the UK and 11/2 cups of bananas seems to add up to about 34 bananas and 11/2 cups of buttermilk says it’s over 2000ml which can’t be right but we don’t measure in cups, is there any way you could say the buttermilk measurements in grams, ml or oz, as when it’s calculated on Google it’s wrong. Thankyou
Hi Vivien, 1 1/2 cups of bananas equals 368 g. 1 1/2 cups of buttermilk equals 350 ml.
Instead of 3 cups all purpose flour can i do 2 cups all purpose and 1 cup cake flour?
Hi there, can’t wait to make. How many grams in a stick of butter? I am worried that may vary depending on where I am.
Hi Ashley, It is 113 grams or 1/2 cup.
Can I use 3 6” pans
Hi Tina, Yes you can, but you might have a little bit of leftover batter.
I have a small oven so if I make 2x the amount will it be safe to have the batter sitting out while I bake the first batch?
Hi Illeana, It should be fine. The cake has both baking powder and baking soda in it. The baking powder reacts twice, once when it’s mixed with the wet ingredients and again when it’s in the hot oven. Therefore, the cake should still rise after sitting out for a few minutes.
I just made this cake and it’s not dense at all. I also got 3 regular sized layers from it. Not sure what I did that’s different from you but this cake is tender, light and delicious. I doubled the icing recipe since I have 3 layers. Also, I never put the salt in my icing. Thanks for this recipe.
Hi Julie, Wow, I’m not sure what you did either, but it sounds great…3 layers and not dense. Most of the time, bananas make cakes and bread rather dense. I’m so glad it turned out great!
In regards to lining the cake pans, are you using wax paper in the oven or parchment paper? Wouldn’t wax paper melt?
You can use wax paper to line cake pans. I’ve done it for years and my mother did too. Back in the day, that’s all we used. It’s been around for 75 years. It’s fine for lining pans and as long as you’re not baking at a high temperature. Good to know…The wax is infused all the way through the paper…it’s not a wax coating on the paper. That’s why the name is wax not waxed.
Thanks!
Would an unfrosted layer freeze? It’s a lot of cake for two people?
Hi Brenda, Certainly. Just wrap it securely and freeze for up to 3 months.
Thank you.
Hi Cindi,
What is „half & half“? I have never heard of it before in my country thank you! Looking forward to trying this recipe
Hi Tania, It’s a mixture of both cream and milk. It’s sold here next to the milk. We also use it as a coffee creamer. If you can’t get it, you can use milk.
Do you think I could make it in a Bundt pan?
Hi Molly, I have not done so. However, it should work in a bundt pan, since it’s only a two-layer cake. Watch the bake time and do a toothpick check to make sure of when it’s done. It will probably bake longer than the recipe for two layers.
hi, looks like very delicious cake and would like to try it how many grams is one stick if butter pls?
thanks,
Alex.
Hi Alexandra, The grams for one stick of butter is 113 grams.
Baking time for using a 9″ x 13″ pan instead?
Do you have a high altitude adjustment for this recipe?
Hi Terri, No, I’m sorry I do not.
This was absolutely the best banana cake EVER!
I loved the frosting as it was too sweet and complimented the cake so well.
Thank you sharing your recipe!
My new favorite!
Hi Becky, I’m so glad it was a hit! Thank you so much for the feedback!! 🙂
Oops! I meant to say the frosting was not too sweet and complimented the cake so well!
I made this as a Bundt with fresh ground whole wheat flour- put a few semisweet mini chocolate cups in the cake and on top of the frosting! It was so good! Thank you
Chips
If I want to make cupcakes with this recipe.. how muche time in the oven do you think they should bake? Thabk you, can’t wait to try this !
Hi Alexandra, This recipe will make approximately 16 to 18 cupcakes, depending how full you fill the cupcake liners. I don’t suggest filling them over two-thirds full.
My family can’t stop complimenting me about this recipe. Because I know my family best I made this recipe in cupcake form. My stepson said it made it to my top ten list (he mentioned #1 or #2. All I can say I am glad I ran out and bought buttermilk and got baking. Thank you for this quality recipe!
Hi Judith, Yay!! I’m so glad it was a hit!! 🙂
What would the baking time be if making cupcakes?
Hi TG, It’s hard to give a specific time. However, cupcakes take less time than a cake. Times will differ depending on your oven and the temperature you use.
Love this recipe! And there was nothing left of the cake. Everyone raved about it. Thank you!
Hi Elyse, Yay…I’m so glad it was a hit.
Hi Cindy!
I love the look of this recipe and want to try it but I have a couple of substitution questions.
First, I don’t eat seed oils so I’m wondering how you think refined coconut oil would affect your recipe? While I can make it liquid at the start, because it’s a saturated fat it will end up solid once the cake comes to room temperature. What do you think that will do to the texture? I can also use all butter if you think that would be better than the coconut oil.
Second, I bake in small batches so I wanted to cut your recipe by one third and put it in my Fat Daddio 7×3 pan which they recommend filling 2/3 of the way up (so I’ll need 5.5 cups of batter). How much time would you expect this to bake for? Since you require 55 minutes for a 2″ pan, maybe another 20 minutes for a 3″ pan??
Thanks so much!!
Hi Jenny, I haven’t tried coconut oil, but it should work fine. I can’t give you an exact baking time, but I would definitely start checking it with a toothpick after 10 extra minutes. I hope it turns out great for you!
Thanks for responding, Cindy. I’m going to try the coconut oil first and if that doesn’t work I’ll try mild olive oil since it’s very neutral. I’ll let you know.
Your banana cake sounds scrumptious! I’d like to make it for a GF family member. Do you have thoughts and amounts for subbing regular flour? TIA!
Hi Terri Lynn, I’ve never personally used gluten-free flour, but King Arthur makes a GF all-purpose flour. I’m sure other companies do too. I see it on Amazon all of the time. I’m sorry I can’t help you more, but I’ve simply not used it.
Cindy, thanks for the quick response! If I make this with GF flour, and if it turns out well, I’ll let you know!
Have a good day,
Terri Lynn
Can the vegetable oil be substituted for more butter?
How long would the frosting last in fridge?
Hi Brianna, It should easily last 4 to 5 days in the refrigerator. Once you remove it, whip it for a minute or so with your hand mixer.
Absolutely the best cake! So incredibly moist. So happy I used your recipe. I put the fresh out of the oven cake in the freezer for 40 min and I think I’ll do that when making other cakes
Hi Sherry, I’m so happy that you liked it. One of my favorites! 🙂