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Light, moist, and fluffy, this banana cake recipe is so delicious that you'll want to make it from scratch every time! Its soft texture and rich banana flavor are so satisfying, perfect with your morning coffee or as a dessert after a hearty meal.
The Best Banana Cake Recipe Ever
Who doesn’t love bananas? They’re sweet, healthy, delicious, and available almost everywhere. But, as we all know, they ripen pretty quickly—sometimes in just a day or two.
I’ve definitely been guilty of letting a few bananas turn brown and mushy on my counter. But before you toss them out, hold on! Overripe bananas are actually perfect for making this moist and fluffy banana cake recipe!
Looking for a more indulgent yet equally delicious treat? Make my Butter Cake recipe and pair it with a cup of coffee or tea!
Is Banana Cake the Same As Banana Bread
Banana cake and banana bread may look and taste similar, but they are two different pastries.
Banana cake is lighter and fluffier than banana bread which is typically dense and compact. It often contains more sugar and mashed bananas, so it’s a little sweeter and softer than banana bread.
Both are made with ripe bananas, but banana bread is almost always baked in a loaf pan. On the other hand, this moist banana cake recipe is baked in a square cake pan, although you can still use a loaf or round pan.
Lastly, banana bread usually has extra ingredients such as walnuts or chocolate chips. For banana cake, a frosting or glaze is more common (but not required), making it more like a traditional cake.
Banana Cake Ingredients
- Banana – I use overripe bananas with lots of brown spots for maximum flavor and moisture. It adds body and natural sweetness to the cake, which I really love! And it’s easier to mash with either a fork or a masher.
- All-purpose flour – essential for the structure of the cake. I use self-rising flour when available, but I almost always use all-purpose flour to keep this recipe simple. You can replace or combine it with cake flour for a softer and bouncier cake.
- Powdered sugar – although the bananas are already sweet, I still add a bit of powdered sugar for a more balanced flavor. It’s easier to dissolve than granulated sugar and you’ll have a slightly thicker batter.
- Baking powder – helps the cake rise during baking to give it a light, airy texture. Don’t forget to add more if using all-purpose or cake flour.
- Eggs – must be warmed to room temperature! It helps bind all the dry ingredients for a smooth batter.
- Butter – use unsalted for better salt control. Aside from adding a rich, buttery flavor, it makes the cake perfectly soft and moist.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.
Variations
- Chocolatey. Make the perfect banana cake for kids by folding some chocolate chips or chopped chocolate into the batter like my Chocolate Chip Banana Bread. Even better, mix in some warmed Nutella in the batter.
- Caramel. Drizzle a delicious caramel sauce over the cake for an exciting sweet, buttery flavor in every slice.
- Nutty. Throw in some chopped walnuts or pecans for added texture and nuttiness, similar to my Banana Nut Bread recipe.
- Spices. Add a touch of fall flavors by putting cinnamon or nutmeg to the batter.
- Frosting. Whip some cream cheese or buttercream frosting or even chocolate ganache for a more indulgent treat.
How To Make Banana Cake At Home
I have tested so many recipes for banana cake, and I can proudly say that this is the best one yet! This easy banana cake recipe is indeed a delicious upgrade from the usual banana bread.
Every bite has the perfect blend of natural sweetness and buttery goodness just from six basic ingredients! I made this banana cake with self-raising flour, but it’s actually just all-purpose flour with baking powder. So it’s not at all complicated to make even for beginners!
Here’s how to make this light and fluffy banana cake recipe at home:
Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a square cake pan (8 x 8 in or 9 x 9 in) (20 x 20 cm or 23 x 23 cm) with butter. You could also use a regular loaf pan or two mini loaf pans if you prefer. Line the pan(s) with parchment paper. In a bowl, mash the overripe bananas until they’re nice and smooth, then set them aside.
Sift the self-raising flour and baking powder together. Just put them through a fine sieve and set aside for now.
Crack the eggs into the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat them on medium speed for about a minute, then turn the speed up to the highest setting for 2 minutes. You want the eggs to be nice and bubbly—almost like a foam on top.
Throw in the sugar and keep beating at the highest speed for 3 minutes. The mixture should turn super foamy—think about how a meringue looks!
Now, fold in the mashed bananas into the egg mixture. Give it a gentle stir or two with a spatula until everything’s nicely combined.
Heat the butter in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds or until it’s fully melted. Now, divide the flour into 3 parts. Start by adding half of the melted butter to the egg mixture, then gently fold it in with a spatula, stirring just a couple of times. Next, add about a third of the flour, fold it carefully, and stir a few times until it’s all mixed in.
Add in the second portion of the flour and stir gently to incorporate. Then, add the remaining melted butter, give it a gentle stir to mix, and follow with the last portion of flour. Be sure the flour is fully combined but avoid overmixing—keep the batter light by retaining the air bubbles from the beaten eggs.
Pro tip: To fold the batter correctly, cut through the center and slowly lift from the bottom, gently folding until everything is well mixed.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. For the best results, place the pan on top of another empty pan before baking. To prevent the top of the cake from becoming too brown, cover the pan with aluminum foil after about 20-25 minutes of baking, once the cake has set on top.
Bake the banana bread for 40-50 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Once done, take it out of the oven and let it cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes before slicing into pieces.
Helpful Tips For Home Bakers
- I always use overripe bananas for the sweetest flavors! They make the cake extra moist and soft because the starches in the fruit have already turned into sugars and water.
- I make sure to use room-temperature eggs for a better rise and texture. If I have refrigerated eggs, I soak them in warm water until they reach room temperature.
- Sifting the flour with baking powder helps to reduce lumps in the batter, ensuring a smooth, even rise while baking for a perfectly light and fluffy cake.
- When measuring flour, I spoon it into the measuring cup and level it off with the back of a knife. Too much flour can make the cake dense, dry, and crumbly.
- I avoid over-stirring the cake batter, as I want to keep the bubbles in for a soft, airy, and light cake.
- To ensure the cake is evenly cooked, I stack up two pans when baking. This prevents the bottom and sides from crusting, keeping the cake extra moist and delicious.
Frequently Asked Questions
Use a round or rectangular pan (8 x 8 in or 9 x 9 in), but you can always use a regular loaf pan or two mini loaf pans.
Sinking is usually caused by underbaking the cake and inaccurate oven temperatures (usually lower than the set temperature). It can also be due to under or over-mixing the batter, which creates too little or too much air that affects the structure of the cake.
Your banana cake may be crumbly because of overbaking or using too much flour. Make sure to check for doneness during the last few minutes of baking. For the flour, measure it properly by spooning and leveling it with the back of a knife.
Yes, absolutely. Store the cake overnight by tightly wrapping it with aluminum foil or plastic wrap. This cake recipe doesn’t dry out even if you keep it in the refrigerator. Reheat in a toaster oven or microwave before serving.
This fluffy banana cake recipe has only 334 calories per serving, and it serves 6 people.
What To Serve With This Recipe
A slice of light banana cake is great with coffee or tea. For afternoon tea, I recommend the following recipes:
I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do. If you try my recipe, please leave a comment and consider giving it a 5-star rating. For more easy and delicious recipes, explore my Recipe Index, and stay updated by subscribing to my newsletter and following me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for new updates.
Other Recipes You Might Like
Banana Cake (The Best Recipe!)
Ingredients
- 200 g (7 oz) overripe bananas
- 120 g (4 oz) self-raising flour, cake flour or all-purpose flour (see Notes)
- 3/4 – 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 100 g (3½ oz) powdered sugar
- 1 stick unsalted butter, melted (I used Challenge brand butter)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a square cake pan (8 x 8 in or 9 x 9 in) (20 x 20 cm or 23 x 23 cm), a regular loaf pan, or two mini loaf pans with butter. Line the pan(s) with parchment paper. Mash the overripe bananas in a bowl until fine and set aside.
- Sift the self-raising flour and baking powder. Set aside.
- Add the eggs to the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on medium speed (speed 5) for 1 minute and then increase to the highest speed (speed 10) for 2 minutes. The egg should be bubbly and foamy.
- Add the sugar and beat at the highest speed for 3 minutes. The egg and sugar mixture should be foamy.
- Add the mashed bananas to the egg mixture. Gently stir 2-3 times with a spatula to combine well.
- Heat the butter in a microwave for 20-30 seconds or until it melts. Divide the flour into 3 parts. Add half of the butter into the egg mixture, gently fold, and stir 2-3 times with a spatula. Next, add 1/3 of the flour, fold carefully, and stir around a few times until incorporated.
- Add in the second part of the flour, stirring gently to incorporate. Add the remaining butter, gently stir to mix, and finally add the remaining flour. Make sure the flour is fully dissolved. DO NOT OVERMIX. Make sure the batter retains the air bubbles in the beaten eggs.Pro tip: Fold the batter correctly by cutting from the center and slowly lifting from the bottom until the ingredients are well incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the pan. For best results, place the pan on another empty pan before baking. To avoid the top of the cake from becoming too brown, cover the top of the pan with aluminum foil after the cake is set at the top, about 20-25 minutes into baking.
- Bake the banana for 40-50 minutes, or until the cake tester comes out clean in the center. Remove the cake from the oven. Let it cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before cutting into pieces.
Video
Notes
- Follow the metric measurement of the recipe for the most accurate measurement.
- I always use overripe bananas for the sweetest flavors! They make the cake extra moist and soft because the starches in the fruit have already turned into sugars and water.
- I make sure to use room-temperature eggs for a better rise and texture. If I have refrigerated eggs, I soak them in warm water until they reach room temperature.
- Sifting the flour with baking powder helps to reduce lumps in the batter, ensuring a smooth, even rise while baking for a perfectly light and fluffy cake.
- When measuring flour, I spoon it into the measuring cup and level it off with the back of a knife. Too much flour can make the cake dense, dry, and crumbly.
- I avoid over-stirring the cake batter, as I want to keep the bubbles in for a soft, airy, and light cake.
- To ensure the cake is evenly cooked, I stack up two pans when baking. This prevents the bottom and sides from crusting, keeping the cake extra moist and delicious.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi! Thanks for the recipe! This is one of the best tasting banana cake recipes I’ve tried! I got a question to help me bake this better: I find it hard to mix the flour and butter well, yet not over mix it. In the end, I always have little bits of uncooked flour in the cake. How should I avoid this? Everything is following your recipe, except I use a handheld mixer. Thanks!
Did you sift the flour. Add flour in more than 3 portions.
Hi, I used handheld mixer too, and came out the same result as yours. So sad :(
this is the best banana cake recipe i’ve came across by far! the batter was smooth and moist and the cake itself looks absolutely delicious! Thank you so much for this awesome recipe!!!
Awesome!
Great
Hi, Bee. Can you please explain what do you mean to place the pan on another empty pan before baking? Is it necessary for the empty pan to be upside down so that I can place the pan on the flat surface?
Stack up two pans, that’s what I meant.
hi, I still don’t understand what this means. Is it one pan inside another? Could you possibly show us what this looks like please?
Just two pans stack together or just ignore this step if you don’t understand.
Made this today. Followed your recipe except reduced sugar to 50g. It turned out perfect. This is a keeper. Thank you so much.
That’s awesome!
Hi could I add cocoa powder? If so how would be the measurements?
I don’t recommend.
You could add chocolate chunks to the batter after coating the chocolate in flour. Yummy!
Hi if bananas too wet can I add a little more flour or just increase baking time. Tried your recipe but it was a bit dense otherwise tastes awesome
Cut down the bananas if they are too wet.
Hi, I just made this and I used 8” square pan. However, my cake turned out to be cakey and slight burned on the sides and didn’t rise much.. I used all purpose flour and 1 teaspoon baking powder. Taste was good as I reduced sugar all the way to just about 20g-ish. I didn’t use butter. I used rice oil but about 100g. Not sure was it too much oil cuz I realised after I added the 2nd half of the oil to the batter, the form reduced a lot.. centre of the cake was ok, just that it doesn’t rise like your
Picture does.
You can’t change ingredients and expect the recipe to work the same.
I find the ones I made recently taste and look like “kueh” instead — my earlier attempts turned out perfect though. Wondering if it is due to the banana I used or my oven temperature is lower (might be inaccurate, I am still waiting for my in oven thermometer to arrive).
Any tips on this?
Hi Joelle, I can’t tell you what happened since I don’t know what temperature you used and the quantity of bananas.
Understand.
I bought an in-oven thermometer for testing and it seems my oven temperature is lower than it should be. e.g. it is 180C when I set it at 230C. probably that’s the reason. :(
Will try again next time… :)
I followed your recipe for like 3-4X and works well for me. Procedures are direct to the point and easy. Sometimes i will add sliced banana as the toppings still works so well. Thank You!
Awesome!
Ive followed many banana cake/ bread recipes and this is the best !! I followed your recipe to the T, well almost. I only substituted butter with coconut oil. It was soft and fluffy and the aroma was so intense ! So delicious ! I think the trick lies in the beating /mixing of the egg till it’s foamy n bubbly. Thank you, this is definitely a keeper !
Hi T, yes beating the egg and sugar until foamy and bubbly is the key to successful banana cake like my photos!
Can I reduce the sugar to 50g?
Yes you can but I don’t know how it affects the texture of the cake.
Thanks for the recipe! I followed exactly & It’s nice & moist! Delicious! But I wonder why my banana sank to the bottom after baking. Any way to improve that?
Your mashed bananas are probably too big pieces and heavy.
Can I add cinnamon? If yes how much
Yes you can. You can add just a few pinches, I guess.
Made this cake.
Added chopped walnuts. Forgot the melted butter; but turned out just awesome!
Thank you
Definitely my “to keep” recipe!
That’s awesome. Please try more recipes on my site!