THE BEST fluffy, moist banana cake topped with a thick, creamy and tangy cream cheese frosting! If you have a couple of ripe bananas laying on your counter, this easy but flavorful and delicious ‘from scratch’ snack cake is calling your name. 😉

Since getting married and doing my own grocery shopping, there’s two things that I have an obsession with buying. Bananas and potatoes. No explanation really, they just always happen to jump into the cart when I’m not looking. So, I’ve learned to be creative with both (hence all the potato recipes on my blog – lol). Absolutely no complaints though because I have a strong love for both! 🙂

This banana cake only requires two medium overripe bananas. As stated above, I always have lots of brown bananas so I have a few favorite recipes that I love to use them in. And this cake happens to be one of them! You only need a 9×9 pan which is perfect for an easy and quick after dinner dessert with the family and I promise they’re going to LOVE it!  

Immediately after taking it out of the oven, place it on a hot pad in the freezer for 45 minutes to trap all the moisture. It’s obviously a step you could skip but if you have the time, don’t skip it. The end result is perfection and you’ll have an amazingly moist and soft cake.

Yield: 6-9 servings

INGREDIENTS

BANANA CAKE

• 3/4 cup mashed bananas (2 medium overripe bananas) 
• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons softened butter, unsalted 
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla 
• 3/4 cup buttermilk

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

• 4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature 
• 1/2 cup softened butter, unsalted 
• 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar 
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 
• Pinch of salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350F. 
2. Spray a 9×9 pan with non stick spray and set aside.
3. In a small bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and whisk together. Set aside.  
4. In a medium bowl, beat butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar on high until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. 
5. Add the egg and vanilla and beat on medium speed just until combined.
6. Add half the dry ingredients and mix on low speed just until incorporated. Add half of the butter milk and mix on low speed again until just incorporated. 
7. Add the rest of the dry ingredients, mix on low speed and then add the rest of the buttermilk and mix until just incorporated. Batter will be thick and slightly lumpy but that is okay!
8. With a spatula, stir in the bananas and mix until combined.
9. Pour into a greased 9×9 pan and bake for approximately 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. 
10. Immediately set the cake in the freezer (on a hot pad or silicone pad!) for 45 minutes to trap the moisture.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

1. In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and butter together until combined. 
2. Add in the vanilla, powdered sugar and pinch of salt. 
3. Beat together until smooth and creamy. 
4. Remove cake from the freezer and slather on that creamy frosting! 
5. Enjoy!

RECIPE NOTES

• The cake is delicious both served as room temperature or after it’s been refrigerated for 30 minutes. 
• When adding the flour mixture you want to mix until just combined.  Over-mixing will cause a dense chewy result.
• I don’t cover the cake when I set it in the freezer. Just place it on a towel or silicone pad in the freezer to prevent the heat from transferring into other items in my freezer.
• If you don’t have buttermilk on hand no worries! You can easily make some at home. Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and 1 scant cup of whole milk or 2% milk. Let the mixture stand at room temperature for 5-10 minutes.