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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:
Step 1: 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.
Step 2: Sift the self-raising flour and baking powder. Set aside.
Step 3: 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.
Step 4: Add the sugar and beat at the highest speed for 3 minutes. The egg and sugar mixture should be foamy.
Step 5: Add the mashed bananas to the egg mixture. Gently stir 2-3 times with a spatula to combine well.
Step 6: 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.
Step 7: 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.
Step 8: 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.
Step 9: 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.
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.
Made this today and it is AMAZING. thanks so much for sharing this!!
Hi Debs, thanks so much for trying. Please try more recipes on my site: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipes/baking-recipes/. All my recipes are AMAZING.
Iโm hoping to make a layered cake with some buttercream frosting in between. Have you ever tried stacking them before? Or are they too fluffy and fragile? Thank you!
You can try, but I haven’t.
Hi
Why were you used powdered sugar instead of castor sugar? Any reason???
You can use castor sugar but powdered sugar will make the beaten eggs lighter and cake will be fluffier.
We baked this cake following the measurements and it turned out to be amazing! Fluffy and tasty… I had never tasted a banana cake before, but loved it. Must recommend. Thanks a lot for such a great recipe.
Awesome, please try more recipes on my site: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-index-gallery/
Hi Bee,
This is definitely the most purest taste banana cake ever. I bake during the day of fasting & couldnโt wait to break fasting to taste the cake. The cake come out fluffy light and moist! My husband couldnโt stop praising me while eating the cake piece by piece :p Thank you so much for the recipe.
Hi Ujie, awww thanks so much for your sweet comment. You made my day! Sounds so delicious for break fasting. You should bake two today!!! :)
Is it possible to replace sugar with maple syrup and obtain the same texture?
Please don’t substitute ingredients in this recipe. Maple syrup will make this recipe failed because sugar is dry and maple syrup is liquid.
Hi, may I ask 200g banana is just the flesh of the banana or its measured with the skin?
My banana cake didn’t rise and it is quite dense, I used cake flour and 4g of baking powder, the rest is the same as stated. Is there a reason why powdered sugar is used instead of caster sugar?
200g bananas without skin, that’s what you need in the cake. I am not sure why your banana cake is dense. You need to follow the quantity exactly.
Hello. This is the second time Iโm making this gorgeous baba cake – smells heavenly and very moist and fluffy. However I noted that the bottom half of the cake was denser and not soo light, and the bananas seemed to have settled to the bottom somewhat. Any idea what possibly went wrong?
When you mix the batter, you need to flip the bananas. They are heavier and that’s why they might sink to the bottom. The other way is to mash it very finely.
Hello, will the baking time remain the same if I choose to use a loaf pan or a mini loaf pan?
Yes, mini loaf pans should be 5-10 minutes shorter. Loaf pan might be 5-10 minutes more time, depending on the oven, too.
Hi Hi,
The banana came smells so good, Fluffy and light. However, the inner part is too loose and it easily break apart. The top and the whole shape is perfectly fine. Can I have your advice please?
Sorry but I don’t know what happened since I didn’t have that problem whenever I bake this.
Thanks for ahring the video! However the steps on beating the eggs in the video and your steps seems to be different? Please advise! Thanks!
Emily, I adapted the recipe. The video doesn’t use any baking powder but most people will fail if so. Also, it’s very difficult to tell people to beat from medium to high speed in a matter of 2 minutes. In any case, you can follow the video, it’s up to you! I have baked this cake many many times before writing the recipe, to make sure everyone can be successful.
Can this recipe be doubled to make a 9×13 cake?
That’s a very big pan. You can try, I don’t know how it will affect the baking time and the center of the cake. I don’t recommend.
Hello Bee!!
I must say your recipe is superb!! I’ve baked this soooo many times and love it, everyone who ate this comment how fluffy and tasty this is.
Hi Jade, agreed, this is the holy grail of banana cake. You can’t find a better recipe because I have tried all of them. Please try more recipes on my site: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipes/baking-recipes/
Hi! U mentioned to wrapped aluminum foil on top of the baking pan, do u mean cover the baking pan with the aluminum foil before we start baking and remove it 20mins during baking or 20mins into baking then cover it with aluminium foil, then continue to bake for 40mins?
Here is what the recipe says: 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. Cover, not wrap. Cover at 20-25 minutes after baking, once the cake is set at the top. Remove when done.
I donโt have a stand mixer. Can I use a hand mixer instead? Will it have the same results?
It should be fine.