Favorite Banana Cake
Total Time
55 minutes (plus 1-hour cooling time)
Prep Time
25 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Rating
4.9 out of 5 stars
(114)
Ingredients
9-inch cake
- ⅓ cup melted coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil or high quality vegetable oil
- ½ cup honey or maple syrup
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 ½ medium or 2 large bananas)
- ¼ cup milk of choice or water
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour
- ¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour
- Totally optional: ½ cup mix-ins like chopped walnuts or pecans, chocolate chips, raisins, chopped dried fruit, fresh banana slices
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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Preparation
Chef’s notes
*Oil options:
I love coconut oil here. I used unrefined coconut oil and can hardly taste it in the final product. Olive oil might lend an herbal note to the cake, if you’re into that (I tested with California Olive Ranch’s “Everyday” variety and couldn’t even taste it). Vegetable oil has a neutral flavor, but the average vegetable canola oil is highly processed, so I recommend using cold-pressed sunflower oil or grapeseed oil if possible.
Make it vegan:
Use maple syrup instead of honey, replace the eggs with flax eggs and choose non-dairy milk (I used almond milk) or water. Substitute vegan products in the frosting or use your favorite vegan frosting recipe.
Make it dairy free:
Choose non-dairy milk (I used almond milk) or water. Substitute dairy-free products in the frosting or use your favorite dairy-free frosting recipe.
Make it egg free:
Replace the eggs with flax eggs.
Make it gluten free:
Bob’s Red Mill’s gluten-free blend works well here. Do not substitute coconut flour (it’s never a suitable substitute for other flours).
Recommended equipment:
I love this square baker and this hand mixer (those are affiliate links).
How to make a layer cake:
This recipe as written makes one 9″ round cake, no timing adjustments needed. Double the recipe and divide the batter between two 9″ round cake pans (butter or oil and flour the pans first) for a two-tiered layer cake. Double the frosting, too.
How to make cupcakes:
Divide the batter between 12 muffin cups. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the cupcakes are golden on top and a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean.
How to make a large 9×13″ cake:
Simply double the banana cake and frosting ingredients. Bake in a greased 9×13″ pan at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 36 to 40 minutes. Be sure to use a true 3-quart, 9×13″ pan (I used this one), as this makes a lot of cake (15 to 18 deep slices).