Here’s a full, reliable recipe for a moist Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting:
Banana Cake
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 medium bananas)
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk (or whole milk + 1 tsp vinegar)
Instructions
- Prep the bananas:
- Mash bananas in a bowl, stir in lemon juice, and set aside.
- Prep oven and pans:
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans (or line with parchment paper).
- Mix dry ingredients:
- In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Cream butter and sugars:
- Beat butter with granulated and brown sugar until fluffy (~3–4 min).
- Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each.
- Mix in vanilla extract.
- Combine wet and dry:
- Add mashed bananas to butter mixture.
- Alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk (start and end with flour), mixing until just combined.
- Bake:
- Divide batter evenly between pans.
- Bake 25–30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool in pans 10 min, then transfer to wire racks.
Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 8 oz (225 g) cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup (115 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth.
- Add vanilla.
- Gradually add powdered sugar, mixing until fluffy.
- Frost cooled cake layers as desired.
Tips
- For extra flavor, add ½ tsp cinnamon or nutmeg to the batter.
- Toasted walnuts or pecans can be folded in for crunch.
- Cake keeps well in the fridge for 3–4 days.
If you want, I can also give a one-bowl, super-moist shortcut version that cuts down prep time and still tastes bakery-quality.
Do you want me to do that?