If you’ve got overripe bananas sitting on your counter, my best ever moist banana cake recipe is the perfect way to use them! Soft, tender, and packed with banana flavor, this cake is a step up from your classic banana bread—and when it’s topped with a rich and tangy cream cheese frosting, it becomes next-level delicious!
IMPORTANT: For accuracy, I would recommend using the gram measurements provided, as those are the exact quantities I use. Cup measurements are given as estimates (based on US cup measurements) to make it easier for those who do not have a scale.
Ingredients
Banana Sheet Cake
- 2¼ cups (280 g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (25 g) cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsps ground cinnamon
- 3½ large (410 g) bananas – skin removed, make sure they’re ripe and soft. About 1¾ cups but I recommend weighing the bananas.
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter – room temperature
- ½ cup (105 g) unflavored vegetable oil – I use canola
- 1½ cups (300 g) white granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs – room temperature
- 1½ tsps vanilla essence/extract
- ½ cup (125 g) Greek yoghurt – room temperature
Cream Cheese Frosting
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- ½ cups (112 g) unsalted butter – room temp
- 1¾ cups (215 g) powdered sugar – also known as icing/confectioners’ sugar
- ¾ cup (167 g) cream cheese – cold, firm type (see note 1)
- ¾ tsp vanilla extract/essence
- 1 tsp lemon juice – must be fresh
Instructions
Banana Cake
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Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) conventional (see note 2 if using a convection oven with a fan), and lightly grease a 9×13-inch cake pan. Line the bottom lengthwise with parchment paper—this will make it easier to remove the cake once it’s done.
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In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, salt and ground cinnamon. Using a whisk, mix until well combined. Set aside.
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In another medium bowl, mash the bananas well using a potato masher or fork. Set aside.
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In a large bowl, add in butter, vegetable oil and sugar. Using an electric mixer (hand or stand mixer—see note 3), cream together for 2 minutes until light and creamy.
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Add in eggs one by one, mixing well after each addition (about 10–15 seconds between eggs).
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Next add in the mashed bananas, vanilla and Greek yoghurt. Mix on a medium speed until well combined. The mixture may look a little curdled—that’s okay. Set the mixer aside, as the remainder of the batter will be finished by hand.
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Finish off by adding in the premixed dry ingredients to the wet mixture, and gently fold in with a spatula until just combined and no streaks of flour remain. Be careful not to overmix.
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Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Tap the pan lightly on the counter once to remove any large air bubbles, then bake for 28–30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
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Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 20 minutes, before carefully turning it out onto a wire rack to completely cool. Once cooled, carefully invert onto a serving plate (see video for demonstration if unsure how) and frost with cream cheese frosting (recipe below).
Cream Cheese Frosting
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Cream butter for a few minutes until light and fluffy. Either use a hand or stand mixer on a medium-high speed. If using a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment.
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Add in powdered sugar in two batches while mixing on low. Ensure each batch is fully incorporated before adding the next.
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Next add the cold cream cheese, vanilla and fresh lemon juice. Mix just until smooth. Avoid overmixing (see note 4).
Notes
Note 1. To ensure that your frosting isn’t too soft, you want to use a firm cream cheese, not the spreadable type. You also want to use cold cream cheese as this will help your frosting stay firmer for longer, particularly if you want to use it for piping. If you stay in a hot climate and your frosting is softening up after some time, simply place it into the fridge for 30 minutes and then rewhip it. This will bring it back to a pipeable consistency.
Note 2. If using a convection oven with a fan, bake at 160°C (320°F) as the fan speeds up baking.
Note 3. If using a stand mixer, then use the paddle attachment for the initial mixing, but continue to do the last step by hand as stated in the recipe to prevent over-mixing the batter.
Note 4. Only mix the frosting until it’s smooth. Once it’s smooth, stop mixing as over-mixing can result in a less stable frosting. This is because of the liquid in the cream cheese breaking down the powdered sugar.
Nutrition
Calories: 350kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 55mg |
Sodium: 214mg | Potassium: 147mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 361IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 1mg
