The Ultimate Classic Banana Cake with Tangy Cream Cheese Frosting

The Ultimate Classic Banana Cake With Tangy Crea

0.0 / 5 (0 Review)

Preparation time:20 Mins

Cooking time:65 Mins

Servings:12 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 cups All-Purpose Flour, sifted
• ¾ cup Granulated Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• ½ teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
• ½ cup (1 stick) Unsalted Butter, softened (for cake)
• 2 Large Eggs, room temperature
• 4–5 medium Very Ripe Bananas, mashed (approx. 450 g)
• ½ cup Buttermilk, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract (for cake)
• 8 oz Full-fat Cream Cheese, chilled
• ¼ cup (½ stick) Unsalted Butter, softened (for frosting)
• 3 cups Powdered Sugar (Icing Sugar), sifted
• ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract (for frosting)
• Pinch of Salt (for frosting)

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line the loaf or cake tin with parchment paper, leaving an overhang 'sling' for easy removal.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
• In the bowl of your stand mixer, cream the room-temperature butter and sugar together on medium speed until the mixture is pale, light, and fluffy (approximately 3–5 minutes).
• Beat in the eggs one at a time, ensuring each is fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla extract.
• Reduce the mixer speed to low. Add the mashed bananas and mix briefly until just combined.
• Gently mix in the dry ingredient mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk in two additions (start and end with dry ingredients). Mix only until just combined—do not overmix.
• Pour the batter into the prepared tin. Bake for 60–65 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
• Let the cake cool in the tin for 10 minutes before carefully transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely. Do not frost until the cake is fully cool.
• For the frosting: Beat the room-temperature butter and the chilled cream cheese together until smooth and completely lump-free (about 2 minutes).
• Gradually beat in the sifted powdered sugar on low speed, then increase to medium until the frosting is light and fluffy.
• Mix in the vanilla and a pinch of salt. Beat for an additional minute.
• Once the cake is completely cool, spread the frosting evenly over the top and serve.

Nutrition Facts

Calories:410 kcal

Protein:5 g

Fat:18 g

Carbs:58 g

Fiber:1.5 g

Sugar:42 g

Sodium:200 mg

Recipe Info

Category:Dessert

Cuisine:American

The Great British Bake-Off Worthy: Classic Banana Loaf Cake with Posh Cream Cheese Frosting

Why Your Bananas Deserve This Moment

Oh my gosh, who else always buys too many bananas? They sit on the counter, going from yellow to leopard print in about two seconds flat.

Stop throwing them away! We are making the ultimate Classic Banana Cake today. This isn't just a sad, dry loaf.

It is proper, glorious cake.

Honestly, achieving that perfectly tender crumb is easier than you think. Forget dry, crumbly banana bread forever. This recipe gives you the most luxurious moist banana cake recipe with cream cheese frosting you’ve ever tasted.

We are baking this deliciousness completely from scratch , too. That tangy frosting just cuts right through the sweetness.

The secret? Two things you absolutely cannot skip. Firstly, you need truly overripe bananas cake recipe level bananas. The blacker they are, the better, honestly! Secondly, we use the magical power of buttermilk .

Using the best banana cake using buttermilk trick is a game changer. It adds flavour and ensures the cake stays incredibly soft.

This recipe is genuinely an easy bake. You don't need a professional chef's hat for this. It takes about 20 minutes of active prep time, maximum.

We are baking this beauty in a standard banana loaf cake 9x5 tin . You get 10 to 12 fantastic, thick slices from that one tin.

It’s so simple, even my clumsy brother managed it last Christmas!

When should you serve this beauty? Anytime, obviously! But seriously, this is the queen of afternoon tea cake recipes UK .

It feels utterly comforting and posh all at once. If Paul Hollywood were to judge it, he’d definitely give you a handshake for the texture.

It’s worthy of the Great British Bake Off banana cake recipe title, seriously.

This recipe is a massive mood booster. It turns a cheap fruit you nearly binned into a luxurious dessert. Are you ready to get started? Let’s check out exactly how to make tender banana cake from scratch .

We'll get straight to the ingredients.

Shopping List Secrets: Getting that Bake Off Texture

Right then, let's talk shopping. Honestly, getting the ingredients spot-on is totally crucial for this truly moist banana cake recipe with cream cheese frosting .

I’ve tried to cheat the system before, using slightly yellow bananas, and trust me, it’s just not worth the heartbreak! This isn't thin banana bread; it’s a proper, magnificent Classic Banana Cake —the kind you’d serve for a fancy afternoon tea cake recipes UK gathering.

The Golden Rule: Overripe Bananas

The most important bit? The bananas! Forget perfect yellow ones. We are aiming for the utterly spotty, almost black, disgusting-looking fruit.

You need four or five medium ones, which comes out to about 450g mashed. This is how you guarantee a true overripe bananas cake recipe .

Fun fact: Bananas that are fully black yield 30% more sugar than yellow ones! That’s where the flavour and moisture live, you know?

Next up is the dairy, which is the key to how to make tender banana cake from scratch . We rely on buttermilk here.

A nice 120 ml of buttermilk is the secret weapon for making the best banana cake using buttermilk . It reacts with the baking soda and keeps the crumb unbelievably light and tender.

If you’re really caught short, you can use whole milk with a dash of lemon juice instead.

The Foundation and Flavour Bombs

We use 115g of unsalted butter here, softened to room temperature. Now, can you try a banana cake substitute butter for oil ? Yes, you absolutely can for maximum moisture, but I stick to butter for that incredible depth of flavour.

If you choose oil, you skip the crucial creaming step later on.

For spices, a pinch of fine sea salt is essential. Honestly, that salt balances the sweetness beautifully, especially in the tangy cream cheese frosting for banana bread .

I usually throw in half a teaspoon of ground cinnamon too. It just gives it that wonderful, cosy "is this a Great British Bake Off banana cake recipe ?" kind of vibe.

Kit Check: Getting Ready to Bake

Equipment-wise, you don't need anything ridiculous. You definitely need a standard 9x5 inch (23x12 cm) loaf tin . That size guarantees a perfect, high-domed banana loaf cake 9x5 tin .

I use my stand mixer for creaming the butter and sugar—it needs a solid four minutes to get light and fluffy.

But seriously, if all you have is a hand mixer or even just a sturdy whisk and a bit of elbow grease, go for it.

The main thing is the oven, preheated to a perfect 350° F ( 175° C) before you even start mixing.

Following these steps makes creating this classic banana layer cake easy . Happy baking, my friend!

How to Make Tender Banana Cake from Scratch

Honestly, the secret to a phenomenal Classic Banana Cake isn't the frosting—though we adore that tangy cream cheese frosting for banana bread —it’s how you prep and mix it.

If you want a Great British Bake Off banana cake recipe winner, you need perfect timing. I learned this the hard way after baking a loaf that was drier than the Sahara.

Never again!

Getting Your Mise En Place Spot On

First things first: organization. This isn't just faff; it saves disasters. Bring your butter, eggs, and that crucial buttermilk to room temperature.

This is non-negotiable for a truly tender banana cake . Trust me, cold ingredients fight each other. While everything is warming up, line your banana loaf cake 9x5 tin .

Leave a little parchment overhang, like a sling. It makes removal so much easier later. And grab those overripe bananas cake recipe calls for.

They should look practically black, honestly. Mash them up now—smooth but with a little texture is perfect.

The Gentle Art of Mixing

This is the make-or-break moment for achieving that perfect moist banana cake recipe with cream cheese frosting .

1. Creaming Magic: Start with your butter and sugar. Beat them until they are pale, light, and fluffy—this takes a full 3 to 5 minutes in the stand mixer. This step traps air, which is the key to lift.
2. Egg Check: Add the two large eggs one at a time. Scrape down the bowl after each one.
3. Banana In: Mix in the mashed bananas on low speed. Just combine them; don't overmix here.
4. Alternate Wet/Dry: Now, the tricky bit. Alternate adding the dry flour mix and the buttermilk . Start and end with the flour.
5. STOP! As soon as you add the final bit of flour, mix it on the lowest speed. Stop the mixer the second you see the flour disappear. Seriously, stop. This prevents gluten development. You are aiming for a classic banana layer cake easy texture, not a rubbery ball!
6. Bake: Pour the batter into your prepped tin and bake at 350° F ( 175° C) for 60– 65 minutes .

Expert Tips for the Best Banana Cake

I often use a banana cake substitute butter for oil trick for extra moisture, swapping half the butter for a neutral oil, but if you stick to butter, the flavor is sublime.

The Golden Mistake: Never, ever slice into a warm cake to frost it. That rich frosting will slide right off! Let the cake cool completely—that means 60 to 90 minutes on a wire rack—before you even think about the whisking the cream cheese frosting .

This is perfect for afternoon tea cake recipes UK style; bake it in the morning, frost in the afternoon. If you struggle with tough cakes, remember: the moment the flour is gone, your mixing is done.

If you master that, you will have the most incredibly tender cake, ready for any occasion.

Mastering the Mix: Serving, Storage, and Swaps

Right then, you’ve mastered the technique for how to make tender banana cake from scratch . Seriously, pat yourself on the back! Before you scoff the whole thing down, let’s talk about how to serve up this beautiful treat and keep it fresh.

This isn't just a cake; it’s the ultimate Classic Banana Cake experience, and trust me, you want to nail the whole presentation.

How to Serve Up Happiness

For plating, I always keep it simple. If you used the standard banana loaf cake 9x5 tin , cut thick, generous slices.

This cake is rich, so sometimes simplicity is best. This cake shines as one of those perfect afternoon tea cake recipes UK .

Honestly, nothing beats a slice of this with a massive mug of builder's tea—milk and two sugars, please!

If you’re feeling extra fancy—or if you're serving it as dessert—toast some chopped pecans or walnuts and scatter them right over the glorious moist banana cake recipe with cream cheese frosting .

That crunch against the soft cake is just delightful. A little dollop of crème fraîche on the side wouldn't hurt either.

Keeping the Good Stuff Fresh

Because we used the best banana cake using buttermilk , this thing stays unbelievably moist for days. You've got options! Refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

If you’ve put on that amazing cream cheese frosting for banana bread (or cake!), chilling is non-negotiable for food safety, you know? Never leave frosted dairy out overnight!

The cake also freezes beautifully, unfrosted. Wrap it tightly in cling film, then foil. It’ll last up to 3 months.

When you’re ready, just thaw it on the counter. If you need a quick comfort fix, microwave a slice for just 15 seconds —it tastes like it’s fresh out of the oven!

Mix It Up! Smart Swaps and Adaptations

If you need a change, I totally get it. I once ran out of butter and had to try the banana cake substitute butter for oil method.

Honestly, using half a cup of neutral oil (like sunflower) instead of butter makes it even more insanely moist! The flavour is less complex, but the texture is out of this world.

And since this is the ultimate overripe bananas cake recipe , you’ve already guaranteed max flavour. If you need a dietary swap, replacing the plain flour with a good quality 1:1 gluten-free baking blend works perfectly.

I've done it plenty of times when catering for friends. You might just need 5–10 extra minutes of baking time, so keep an eye on it.

Quick Nosh on Nutrition

Okay, let’s be real. This is a spectacular treat. It’s not a salad! But those mashed bananas bring great potassium and fibre to the party.

The key benefit here is happiness and comfort, honestly. A generous slice (based on 12 servings) with the frosting is around 410 calories.

It’s absolutely worth every single one.

Go forth and bake! You now have the ultimate Great British Bake Off banana cake recipe in your arsenal. Enjoy every delicious, tender crumb.