For special deals and more great content, sign up for the free How To Cook Like Your Grandmother Newsletter.
Email address:


Also receive blog posts via email

Name: (optional)

Not now, thanks
Drew Kime

How To Make Banana Cake

I’ve had plenty of banana bread in my day. But it always seems like more of a cold weather food. Go figure, a tropical fruit that makes a cold weather bread. Doesn’t make sense, but that’s how it is.

This cake, though, is lighter than any banana bread I’ve ever had. And with the brown sugar buttercream frosting, it’s an amazing summertime treat.

Worried that baking these will make your kids fat? Click here and take two minutes and go answer the poll question.

Ingredients


2 cups sugar
½ cup butter (1 stick)
2 egg yolks
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
3 crushed bananas
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 egg whites, beaten

Metric conversion (estimate)

500 g sugar
60 g butter
2 egg yolks
375 g all-purpose flour
7 g baking powder
4.7 g baking soda
2.4 g salt
235 ml milk
3 crushed bananas
5 ml vanilla
2 egg whites, beaten

Directions

Combine the sugar and butter and beat on low speed until completely combined.


Add the egg yolks and beat on high speed until the mixture is smooth and fluffy. This is the creaming method. (Follow that link so Jenni can tell you all about why the creaming method works for cakes.)


In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients — flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt — and whisk thoroughly. You’ll want the baking soda to be well distributed throughout the flour before adding to the wet ingredients.



Alternate adding dry and wet ingredients (milk), beating each time until it is just incorporated. Start and end with dry. (If you really care why, Jenni explains all.)


When you’re done, you should have a nice, soft, fluffy batter.

Now mash the bananas and add them to the batter.


Add the vanilla and beat until combined.

Whip the egg whites until they form stiff peaks, but not so much you dry them out.

Carefully fold the egg whites into the batter, trying not to deflate them too much.

Pour the batter into three greased and floured round pans.

Bake at 350° for 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry.

Pop the cakes out of the pans and let them cool to room temperature, then frost with the brown sugar buttercream frosting.

This frosting will stay soft and creamy at room temperature. If you want it to firm up, you’ll need to put the cake in the refrigerator.

And that’s it.

Best banana cake frosting

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...

While you’re here, why don’t you check out the photo recipe browser, then go order the recipe cards that I start shipping in May.


Want more like this? For more recipes like this, that you can hold right in your hands, and write on, take notes, tear pages out if you want (Gosh, you're tough on books, aren't you?) you might be interested in How To Cook Like Your Grandmother, 2nd edition, Illustrated. Or to learn your way around the kitchen, check out Starting From Scratch: The Owner's Manual for Your Kitchen.

This entry was posted in Dessert. Bookmark the permalink. Both comments and trackbacks are currently closed.

145 Comments

  1. Amanda
    Posted July 17, 2009 at 7:22 am | Permalink

    Looks great Drew :) Beautiful presentation. I have always loved banana cake. I have made Dorie Greenspan's banana cake, which is totally awesome. I also recently posted a Bananas n Cream Bundt Cake with Brown Butter Glaze that is to die for! The cake uses sour cream as part of the moisture, YUM!

    • sharon maul
      Posted February 21, 2012 at 2:14 pm | Permalink

      i would love to have the receipe for banana n cream bundt cake

  2. Amanda
    Posted July 17, 2009 at 7:22 am | Permalink

    Oh meant to say the frosting looks awesome too :)

  3. Ali
    Posted July 17, 2009 at 8:20 am | Permalink

    I've gained five pounds just looking at that gorgeous frosting! Great recipe Drew. Thanks for sharing.

    Ali

  4. Kate Witenko
    Posted July 17, 2009 at 8:46 am | Permalink

    Banana cake was always a staple in my house growing up. My grandmother used to make the best kind and when I went away to college, my dad used to ship me a baked cake to remind me of home. This version looks a little different and I LOVE your frosting. Perhaps I'll combine it with my family recipe for the cake!

    • stacey
      Posted January 30, 2011 at 11:23 am | Permalink

      Did you combine the two recipes yet? If so let me know if it was good. Please.

  5. onlinepastrychef
    Posted July 17, 2009 at 9:00 am | Permalink

    That's an impressive cake, Drew!

  6. Melissa
    Posted July 17, 2009 at 12:43 pm | Permalink

    I just posted a banana apricot bread on my blog, and now I've got bananas on the brain! This looks so, so good. I'm going to have to pick up some more bananas and give this one a try.

  7. Posted July 17, 2009 at 1:41 pm | Permalink

    Amanda, brown butter glaze sounds good. Actually I think I always like the idea of a glaze better for bundt cakes. I have no idea why.

    Ali, I keep trying to give cake away, and my wife keeps finding more recipes I want to try. It's a good thing I'm living in shorts, and they have elastic.

    Kate, how is your version of the cake different?

    Jenni, I started beating it and thought, "Now wait, what method is this? Oh … I remember!"

    Melissa, I don't see apricots that often except in sauces, glazes and candies. How much was in yours, compared to the bananas?

    • JC
      Posted February 11, 2011 at 12:20 am | Permalink

      Hi Drew,

      What is the filling between the layers?

      Cheers

      JC

      • Posted February 11, 2011 at 9:56 am | Permalink

        It’s the same brown sugar buttercream as the frosting. As a few people have pointed out, the frosting can be sort of thin, especially if it’s too warm, so don’t expect it to keep uneven layers from sliding around on each other.

      • anne
        Posted July 8, 2011 at 7:58 pm | Permalink

        hey drew it looks awesome!! what is the ingredients for the butter-cream frosting? I’m teaching my oldest how to cook deserts since she knows how to cook dinner! and she is only 11yrs old!!

      • Posted July 11, 2011 at 12:57 am | Permalink

        Anne, where it said brown sugar buttercream, that’s a link to the recipe for it.

  8. Melissa
    Posted July 17, 2009 at 2:39 pm | Permalink

    Drew, I like glazes for bundt cakes for two reasons: 1)it looks really cool they way it drips all over the cake, and 2)bundt cakes are a pain in the ass to ice. I always go for the easy option. ;)

    The banana bread recipe I used originally calls for two peaches, but I didn't have any. I used four medium sized apricots instead, added to 2 medium sized bananas.

  9. Dinneen-Eat Without Guilt
    Posted July 17, 2009 at 4:24 pm | Permalink

    Looks SO divine. Wish I could just reach in the photo and eat it!! Guess I'll have to do some baking…

    I love banana bread but is definitely up a notch :)

  10. Meagan
    Posted July 17, 2009 at 5:50 pm | Permalink

    This looks delicious, though I am a little disappointed to find a banana cake doesn't have THAT much banana.

  11. Posted July 17, 2009 at 7:47 pm | Permalink

    Dinneen, if I figure out a way to deliver cake straight through the internet, I'll retire a wealthy man.

    Meagan, you can add more, but it will get heavier.

  12. Damsel
    Posted July 18, 2009 at 6:36 am | Permalink

    Found you via Stumble… and I think I just fell in love, looking at that cake. *drool*

    Good thing we're both already married. :-)

  13. Posted July 18, 2009 at 9:09 am | Permalink

    Damsel, yes that is a good thing. I don't think I could explain to my wife …

  14. Sandi
    Posted July 20, 2009 at 2:17 pm | Permalink

    Oh, oh, oh, Drew, you are going to knock me off my diet.

  15. Posted July 20, 2009 at 2:49 pm | Permalink

    Sandi, just do the cake then but don't frost it.

    Oh who am I kidding. Do the whole thing, but take it to dinner at someone else's house. Have a small piece and leave the leftovers with them. </evil>

  16. Anonymous
    Posted July 21, 2009 at 1:47 pm | Permalink

    I just tried to make this cake and the icing turned out very runny- any ideas why? Also, you did not put when to add the milk into the directions for the cake.

  17. birthday cake pictures
    Posted July 21, 2009 at 10:44 pm | Permalink

    That looks delicious, thanks you the recipe. Mine didn't come out looking as good as yours but it tasted great!

  18. Posted July 22, 2009 at 10:01 pm | Permalink

    Anon, if your butter was very soft when you started, I expect the frosting would come out runny. Mine was very soft, maybe softer than whipped cream. I had to put the cake in the fridge to keep the top layer from sliding off. As for the milk, that's the step where you alternate adding dry and wet ingredients. The milk is the wet.

    BCP, I didn't do the frosting, my wife did. She's the baker in the family. I'll pass along the compliment.

  19. Arwa
    Posted July 23, 2009 at 9:43 am | Permalink

    My mother makes the best banana cake ever!!I Don't put any frosting on it just a huge glop of cream with a glass of banana smoothie!!mmmm….

  20. Rose @ Bite Me Kitchen
    Posted July 23, 2009 at 4:00 pm | Permalink

    Whoa! That looks delicious! =) YUM!

  21. Cerise
    Posted July 24, 2009 at 8:27 pm | Permalink

    It was absolutely divine. I made two of them this morning. One for us and one for my neighbors. The cakes turned out perfectly. The frosting didn't set up like it should have. I think my kitchen was a bit too hot. It is Houston and it is 100 degrees everyday in the summer. We are a family of 7 most of the time. So it was a perfect ending to a summer day. I had a cup of coffee with it if you can believe it…almost too hot for coffee. Thanks for the blog. I have it saved as a favorite and love reading it.

  22. babyg
    Posted July 25, 2009 at 3:49 am | Permalink

    Well, I just read your entire blog over the last 3 days, and were I not visiting friends I would be making many of the recipes!
    The banana cake looks wonderful, it's my favourite kind of cake-I'll have to try this one out and see how it compares to my recipe ;)

  23. Posted July 25, 2009 at 9:43 am | Permalink

    Cerise, are you baking, on a 100-degree day, with no air conditioning? That's either crazy or dedicated. And then coffee?

    Babyg, even I wouldn't try to read my whole blog straight through. Glad you liked it.

  24. Cerise
    Posted July 26, 2009 at 12:05 pm | Permalink

    Hey Drew…We do have air conditioning! That is not an option. When it gets really hot outside it is harder to keep the inside cool and dry. We do have lots of humidity as well. Kitchens get warm too with running appliances. I have 4 ovens, 2 dishwashers, 6 burner gas stove (love it!), full size frig and full size freezer side by side. It is a nice kitchen, but gets warm. I just think it was too warm to make frosting and it didn't set up right. Where do you love?

  25. Mellie
    Posted July 26, 2009 at 1:21 pm | Permalink

    This cake was fabulous, I encourage everyone to make it. I simply cannot quit eating it, it's just that good.

  26. Posted July 26, 2009 at 1:49 pm | Permalink

    Cerise, I love San Diego. But I suspect you wanted to know where I live? In that case, just East of Cleveland. So yeah, a bit cooler. But I used to live in Twentynine Palms, CA, so I know all about hot summers.

    Mellie, I bet you'll stop when you finish it. :-)

  27. Cerise
    Posted July 27, 2009 at 12:13 am | Permalink

    HAHAHA I just re read my post…hahahaha love. that's funny. Yeah…live was the question. Thanks for answering it.
    Post more. I have lots in my repertoire that I have maked and served. I am thinking that I would love to open a soup kitchen complete with the soup nazi. It would be fun and I know people would come for the soup and bread. One day we should share recipes. I have enjoyed many of yours.

  28. Farmgirl Susan
    Posted July 27, 2009 at 8:22 am | Permalink

    This cake looks fantastic! I love all cakes, but there's something about three layers that really gets me. I also happen to be a buttercream frosting freak but have never made one with brown sugar. Can't wait to give your recipe a try.

    I have a set of embroidered vintage tea towels that say things like 'Sunday Rest' and 'Thursday Wash Day,' and they're really cute, but I think Monday should say 'Cake Day!' :) So glad I discovered your blog – am looking forward to reading more.

  29. Posted July 27, 2009 at 8:46 am | Permalink

    Susan, check out the comments on the frosting page. It looks like too much heat can be bad for it.

  30. vincent
    Posted July 28, 2009 at 12:06 pm | Permalink

    Hello,

    We bumped into your blog and we really liked it – great recipes YUM YUM.
    We would like to add it to the Petitchef.com.

    We would be delighted if you could add your blog to Petitchef so that our users can, as us,
    enjoy your recipes.

    Petitchef is a french based Cooking recipes Portal. Several hundred Blogs are already members
    and benefit from their exposure on Petitchef.com.

    To add your site to the Petitchef family you can use http://en.petitchef.com/?obj=front&action=site_ajout_form or just go to Petitchef.com and click on "Add your site"

    Best regards,

    Vincent
    petitchef.com

  31. uncle Mandingo
    Posted August 9, 2009 at 10:47 pm | Permalink

    The picture looked so dang good and the idea sounded great. So I make the cake, my wife and I both were sick for 24 hours. The combination of 3 sticks of butter and enough sugar for an aircraft carrier put us both in a diabetic coma.
    This recipe might work if you live in the fat people states but BEWARE if you eat normally.

  32. Posted August 10, 2009 at 7:00 am | Permalink

    Dude, you didn't try to eat the whole thing at one sitting, did you? You can cut smaller slices, or maybe even not finish the first if it's too much for you.

    If you're not used to real food, you may be surprised at how little you have to eat to be satisfied.

  33. LisaP
    Posted August 11, 2009 at 12:59 pm | Permalink

    Holy CRAP but that cake is tasty! And big… I have never so thoroughly filled my covered cake plate. Almost every square mm of space filled with cake & frosting.

    And let's talk about that frosting… I literally *hate* buttercream frosting, and yet I refused to toss the parchment scraps (the ones that kept frosting from landing on the cakeplate) for about 4 hours after I was done, just so that I could continue to swipe fingerfuls. By itself it tastes like the beginnings of oatmeal cookies! Cake & frosting together are a perfect match.

    I made friends at work, my kid made friends at her work, and people are still demanding the recipe.

    This was my introduction to you and your yumminess, and I must say: strong work, my friend. Strong work indeed. :D

  34. Posted August 11, 2009 at 1:09 pm | Permalink

    Lisa, my wife had to hurry and get the frosting onto the cake. We let the girls taste it before she started, and it was a struggle to keep their fingers out of the bowl. I've got to say, though … it wouldn't have taken me four hours to clean off the parchment.

  35. Lauren
    Posted August 23, 2009 at 10:48 pm | Permalink

    Made this the other night. It was really yummy :) I think I might try another frosting with it though next time.

  36. Posted August 24, 2009 at 6:31 am | Permalink

    Lauren, what were you thinking for the frosting next time? A cream cheese frosting would probably work really well.

  37. CulinaryStudent
    Posted August 28, 2009 at 5:38 pm | Permalink

    A friend of mine tried it out and said she enjoyed it. She linked to your page and I'm happy she did because I will be trying this recipe out very soon. Though I disagree about your seasonality perspective. I think if you love it, make it when you want it. Are your bananas at the "past ripened" state (i.e. completely brown and frozen, then thawed) before your mash them up? Or does it really not matter? I'd be worried about sugar content if I used over-ripened bananas since I'm not sure just how sweet this cake is.

    Thanks for the post. Looks yummy.

  38. Posted August 29, 2009 at 8:05 am | Permalink

    The bananas were actually still pretty yellow, a little under-ripe if anything. I would have preferred more brown, but I didn't think ahead enough to get them earlier in the week.

    If you're worried about it being too sweet — and by the way, it's a cake, how can it be too sweet? — finish baking the cake before you make the frosting. Believe me, that was much sweeter.

  39. Tanya
    Posted September 11, 2009 at 5:10 pm | Permalink

    Hmmm Yum! I've had banana bread but not banana cake. The frosting looks delicious. I can't wait to make it.

  40. Stephanie
    Posted September 14, 2009 at 11:23 am | Permalink

    Drew,
    I made this cake for the family lake trip and everyone loved it! My husband assisted and he really enjoyed beating the egg whites. Not sure why I find that so funny. Anyhow, I didn't layer the cake b/c it needed to transport easily. It got RAVE reviews! In fact, it was just requested again this morning for my brother-in-laws birthday party…and they want 2. I can't wait to make it again. Thanks for the great recipe.
    Stephanie G
    Moore, OK

  41. Posted September 14, 2009 at 2:13 pm | Permalink

    Stephanie, do you have an exceptionally deep cake pan? Or did you do it rectangular?

  42. A.K. Works
    Posted November 3, 2009 at 4:56 am | Permalink

    I am baking this cake for the second time. It's delicious.

  43. Sarah
    Posted December 19, 2009 at 12:25 pm | Permalink

    I’ve got this cake in the oven now. The aroma has made my houseful of guests drunk with its heady bananalicous scent. Going to have to beat them back with my icing spatula!! I’ll be back to let you know what they thought and I’ll be sure to time how long it take them to devour it!

  44. Dorothy
    Posted January 10, 2010 at 4:46 pm | Permalink

    OMG! This is the best cake ever. Drew, if I win the lottery will you come cook for me?

  45. Posted January 10, 2010 at 7:24 pm | Permalink

    That depends … how warm is it there right now? I’ve got icicles forcing the gutters off my house as we speak. A little sun would be good.

  46. Susan
    Posted January 19, 2010 at 11:05 pm | Permalink

    In the oven now. I made a double batch – 1/2 white whole wheat,1/2 AP Flour; 1/2 brown sugar, 1/2 white sugar and a lot of extra banana. We shall see.

    SSM

  47. Posted January 22, 2010 at 5:45 pm | Permalink

    Nice cake. Is the preparation time far beyond 1 hour?
    Greets.

  48. Posted January 23, 2010 at 4:06 pm | Permalink

    It took me a little over a half-hour to prepare the batter, while taking pictures along the way. Then 35 minutes to bake. You can work on the frosting while it’s baking, but you’ll need to wait for it to cool before frosting it, or the frosting will just melt and run off.

    So plan on starting at least two hours before you want to serve it, but actual hands-on time will probably be about a half-hour. The rest is baking and cooling time.

  49. Posted January 23, 2010 at 5:45 pm | Permalink

    Hey Drew! I’m going to make this today (finally). Can you tell me if it HAS to be refrigerated after you frost it?

  50. Gezelle
    Posted January 23, 2010 at 9:16 pm | Permalink

    Sounds delicious! Though, in anything where you use bananas, there’s no need to use any eggs since bananas act as the binder for the batter. You won’t notice they’re missing but you’ll cut the cholesterol!

  51. Posted January 24, 2010 at 4:08 pm | Permalink

    Manda, it doesn’t have to be, but if you use the frosting I mention it will probably stay very soft. As for the cake itself, as with anything home-made it’s not going to have any preservatives in it, so don’t expect it to last as long as something store-bought would.

    Gezelle, that’s true, but in this recipe the beaten egg whites also add volume. It can be the difference between cake and a typical banana bread consistency. Not that there’s anything wrong with banana bread, but cake is supposed to be lighter.

    • Amanda M.
      Posted September 9, 2011 at 7:29 pm | Permalink

      Good to know. I love banana bread which is why i wanted to try the cake.

  52. Kate
    Posted March 28, 2010 at 10:44 pm | Permalink

    I don’t bake, but I’m in love with this recipe. I’m hoping to have a local baker make it for my husband’s birthday party.

    • Posted March 30, 2010 at 11:03 pm | Permalink

      Hey sis you can make it to try for your husband,or else your husband will be suprise so if you don’t know how to bake you can try it for the one you love is that right or wrong I hope is right ok, my english is broken because Im an i kiribati so I hope you understand what I say . bye that all from my advice or my support to you

  53. Posted March 28, 2010 at 11:19 pm | Permalink

    Kate, what kind of frosting will you ask for? The poll is showing the brown sugar buttercream ahead 3-to-2, but cream cheese is probably more common in bakeries.

    • Margaret
      Posted December 11, 2010 at 10:22 am | Permalink

      My mother made banana cake from the same or a very similar recipe, although I think hers use buttermilk or sour milk. She always covere it ith a homemade 7-Minute Icing (basically a stove-top meringue) which was a wonderful foil to the texture of this cake. Having live in Chicago as a child, I always love the whipped cream cakes from the Dressel’s Bakery nd a favorite in our family was the banana cake. try this recipe ith chocolate whipped cream for icing!

      • Posted December 11, 2010 at 3:26 pm | Permalink

        Mmm, I love chocolate and banana. Why didn’t think of this?

  54. Posted March 30, 2010 at 7:00 pm | Permalink

    I am an i kiribati but I want to know how to cook the banana cake and I am a girl and Im only 17 years old thank you and may god be with you always . bye see you kk bye

  55. Victoria
    Posted March 31, 2010 at 1:31 pm | Permalink

    What did you put in between the cake layers? Or was it just a thin layer of the icing? Hmmm…..

  56. Posted March 31, 2010 at 9:08 pm | Permalink

    Yes, just a thin layer of the icing.

  57. Melissa
    Posted April 2, 2010 at 1:19 pm | Permalink

    This cake sounds great, would it work for cupcakes?

  58. Posted April 2, 2010 at 2:04 pm | Permalink

    No reason it shouldn’t. Give it a shot, and send me a picture of the finished product.

  59. Posted April 12, 2010 at 12:20 am | Permalink

    I just happened to “stumbleupon” your site. I love it! I can’t wait to try this banana cake!
    Thank you!

  60. Victoria
    Posted April 13, 2010 at 12:47 pm | Permalink

    So I finally made this cake, and I must say it was the best thing I’ve ever made and ever tasted. I’ll definitely be making this again!

  61. Becca
    Posted April 18, 2010 at 10:22 am | Permalink

    I just made this cake today and it was great! Thanks Drew!

    I made it with brown sugar swiss meringue buttercream (my own recipe) as I’ve never been fond of icing with flour in them, and I love how making a sugar syrup results in a glossy fluffy icing that you just can’t get otherwsise.

    I also made it a double layer rather than triple layer cake as I didn’t have the time to cook 3 cakes ( I sadly, only have one round pan.)

    I have some frozen maple swiss meringue butter cream left over from an angel food cake I made last month, so I’m going to try this again using the maple icing. I think it will be great!

  62. Becca
    Posted April 21, 2010 at 12:32 pm | Permalink

    The cake I made for the party went over so well, so I made another one the next day for my family.

    I put maple syrup swiss meringue buttercream between the two layers and coated it with chocolate swiss meringue buttercream.

    SO GOOD!

    This recipe is a keeper.

  63. Alicia
    Posted May 4, 2010 at 1:46 pm | Permalink

    I took the plunge and made this recipe, and I made them as cupcakes. The only issue I had was trying to man-handle my bowl from my stand mixer to be able to pour the batter (which is fairly thick) into the cupcake tins. They all ended up being full to the top so when they were done cooking, they looked like the enormous muffins that you can find at Starbucks. Didn’t bother me, and they tasted great! I didn’t even end up putting frosting on them. I can’t wait to make it again as a cake with the frosting as well.

  64. Enrique
    Posted May 11, 2010 at 11:29 pm | Permalink

    Just a comment from the tropics: If you use really ripe bananas (yes, with the darkened skin), your cake will turn up a lot tastier (I mean a lot more banana taste). They don’t look good to eat fresh as they become brownish, but the difference is amazing. We learned this as we have some trees at home and we often end up with too many “very ripe” bananas, so we make breads, cakes, desserts, etc. with them, and the end result is always sweeter, with a stronger banana flavour when these are used. Enjoy!

    Experiment including some blended bananas in a thick “cream anglaise” (while being cooked) and use it as a filling. Works great with your buttercream frosting!

    Very nice cake!

  65. Posted May 12, 2010 at 7:29 am | Permalink

    Enrique, you’re so right about using “over ripe” bananas. They’re my usual preference. The ones in the picture there, I bought nearly a week before I did this recipe and they didn’t turn as quickly as I had hoped.

    • Enrique
      Posted May 13, 2010 at 9:43 pm | Permalink

      Hi Drew! If you wish to try out some unique flavours, try making a Guava and “over ripe” banana Jam/jelly. If Guavas are not available fresh, you could begin with a commercially made Guava (“Guayaba”) Jelly/Jam, (They can be found at “latin” sections of supermarkets or specialty stores in the US), slowly melt it and incorporate blended bananas. cook as you would normally do with other fruits when making a fresh jelly (“mermelada”). You could add as much or as little bananas as you wish. (adjust sugar to taste).
      This yields a distinctive, flavorful, aromatic Jelly that can be used over ice cream, as a Cheescake topping… or just for breakfast over toast.
      Hope you all like it.

      • Posted May 13, 2010 at 9:54 pm | Permalink

        I’ve got to start trying more ethnic foods. But where I live they think Taco Bell is ethnic.

  66. Mary in MD
    Posted June 8, 2010 at 2:41 pm | Permalink

    Hi Drew,

    Just wondering: you used AP instead of cake flour, is there any particular reason? I know the egg whites will help keep the cake light but I’m wondering since cake flour is so fine if it will make it extra fluffy. I think I might do half cake flour half AP. I’m making this tonight for a very picky bunch tomorrow so I’m hoping it’ll turn out as yummy as it looks. If you can email me back soon so I can get your thoughts, thanks and happy baking!

  67. Posted June 8, 2010 at 3:01 pm | Permalink

    Mary, I don’t keep cake flour, because I don’t bake often enough to give up the pantry space. I’m sure this would work well either way.

  68. melissa
    Posted June 9, 2010 at 11:47 pm | Permalink

    I love this cake, my grandma always made it with peanut butter icing :)

  69. suzanne sawh
    Posted September 1, 2010 at 8:33 pm | Permalink

    I made this cake for my family and they loved it! thanks alot!

  70. blehblehbleh
    Posted December 2, 2010 at 5:54 pm | Permalink

    Oh my gosh!

    This cake is SOOOOOOOOO GOOD!
    Thanks for the recipe, Drew!

  71. blehblehbleh
    Posted December 2, 2010 at 6:01 pm | Permalink

    Hey Drew,

    Should I do anything different if I don’t do layers?
    I used a funny mold, and it has cooked for 35 minutes, and it’s still doughy.
    Any other advice?

  72. Posted January 8, 2011 at 10:41 pm | Permalink

    My son asked for a banana cake for his fourteenth birthday, and when I saw this I decided I HAD to try it. I made it today and it was amazing! And the icing was out of this world. I’ve never made icing like that before. Thank you, and I love your website! :)

  73. Brian
    Posted February 9, 2011 at 2:06 pm | Permalink

    I made this last night. This morning everyone agreed — delicious! Cake for breakfast! Hey it has eggs and milk and bananas!

    Next time I will:

    1. Not use old brown sugar. It took FOREVER for it to be dissolved into the butter.
    2. Put the icing in the fridge for a bit before icing the cake. It’s not quite thick enough to hold the layers on straight, and they kept slipping. Also needs more thickness to make the sides of the cake look even.
    3. Make more frosting, maybe 1.5 times the recipe. I didn’t really have enough to put as much frosting between the layers as I like.

    Anyway thanks! Delicious!

    –Brian

  74. Posted February 13, 2011 at 9:14 am | Permalink

    Very intrigued by your recipe, but what size cake pans? 8″ 9 ” you just say put batter in three cake pans….2″ 3″ high?

  75. Posted February 13, 2011 at 10:03 am | Permalink

    Tom, they were 9-inch.

  76. mark
    Posted February 27, 2011 at 8:45 am | Permalink

    Just made cupcakes and they were so very good. Fist fights broke out over the last ones.

  77. Posted April 3, 2011 at 7:20 pm | Permalink

    Your cake is awesome. We shared it on our blog. I need to make again…Thanks for a great recipe!

  78. Sugar Pearl
    Posted April 5, 2011 at 6:52 pm | Permalink

    Made both cake and brown sugar buttercream as per recipe. Turned out perfect. Icing was just enough, fluffy and creamy but not too sweet. Truly light and perfect with a cup of hot or cold coffee. I had mine hot with a little cinammon. Might do a filling next time with mix of creme fresh and whipped cream and a bit of crushed pineapple or lemon zest. Anyway, very nice and thank you Drew.

  79. Posted April 5, 2011 at 9:18 pm | Permalink

    Those all sound good, but especially the pineapple.

  80. Brittany
    Posted April 7, 2011 at 12:20 pm | Permalink

    Can you make this in a 9 x 13? How do you think the baking time would change?

  81. Posted April 7, 2011 at 12:58 pm | Permalink

    A single 9×13 might not be big enough, unless yours is extra deep. Make sure you have another small dish standing by in case you have overflow.

    As for cooking time, as long as the thickness is about the same it should be pretty close. Baking time is determined more by how thick it is at the thickest point than by how big around it is.

  82. Charlotte
    Posted April 28, 2011 at 10:18 pm | Permalink

    I’m planning to make this cake tonight as it looks totally scrumptious. One thing I don’t see in the recipe is what size cake pans to use.

  83. Posted April 29, 2011 at 6:26 am | Permalink

    Those were standard 9-inch pans.

  84. Barbarainnc
    Posted May 2, 2011 at 2:32 pm | Permalink

    On another baking site, stated that cooked flour/milk frostings need to be stored in the refrigerator. So after I frost my cakes with the cooked flour/milk frosting I store it in the refrigerator. :) :) :)

    • Barbarainnc
      Posted May 2, 2011 at 2:37 pm | Permalink

      I forgot to add I can’t wait to make the Brown Sugar Buttercream version!! I just love the white sugar version. It always turns out for me. Just let the milk/flour mixture cool. Really easy and you usually have the ingredients on hand. :) :)

  85. Clare Barker
    Posted May 10, 2011 at 2:59 pm | Permalink

    The recipe I use for banana cake suggests a chocolate whipped cream frosting. Whip cream with sugar, fold in melted chocolate. Yours looks delicious!!

  86. Posted May 29, 2011 at 3:01 am | Permalink

    i have to say that i find your post comprehensive and easy to understand. thank you for the great recipe

  87. Posted June 16, 2011 at 11:19 am | Permalink

    We do the exact same recipe here(although without the icing)

  88. TJ
    Posted June 20, 2011 at 9:51 pm | Permalink

    This recipe is really easy I like that the measurements are simple too. I made it for my friends. They All loved it. :) thank you..

  89. Martha
    Posted June 26, 2011 at 5:18 pm | Permalink

    Wow! Made this banana cake with the brown sugar butter cream frosting on Saturday and the thing is half gone already! It’s good to read all of the instructions AND the comments everyone made. I read how so many people were having troubles with the frosting but if the flour and milk mixture is totally and completely cooled before adding it to the creamed butter/brown sugar/vanilla, you’ll have awesome results! Also, the consistency of the flour and milk is important. Make sure it’s thick and starts holding together and coming away from the pan as you constantly stir it. Then cool completely.
    I had only 2 9in cake pans for the cake so used a deep dish pie plate for the bottom and since I divided the batter equally amongst the three pans, it turned out perfectly fine. This is my favorite way to use up extra bananas! Thank you for the recipe!

  90. Nichole
    Posted August 28, 2011 at 1:31 am | Permalink

    Came across this recipe on StumbleUpon. I made it tonight. It tasted just as awesome as it looks!! I put the flour mixture into the frosting before it was completely cooled, but was able to save it by whipping it until fluffy and refrigerating it for a few min.. I will be making this again. Thank you for sharing!!

  91. weed smoker
    Posted September 9, 2011 at 2:17 pm | Permalink

    you need some crack in those

    • Posted September 11, 2011 at 12:33 pm | Permalink

      Would you cream that in with the butter and sugar, or add it with the other dry ingredients?

  92. Amanda M.
    Posted September 9, 2011 at 7:20 pm | Permalink

    I made this banana cake with the Brown Sugar Buttercream & it was FANTASTIC! I made it with a chocolate ganache filling & I have to say it was the best cake I have made. Thank you!!!

    • Posted September 13, 2011 at 10:34 am | Permalink

      Ooh, nice idea for the filling.

  93. Erin P.
    Posted September 12, 2011 at 9:42 pm | Permalink

    I feel like I have been searching for this recipe for years….and I am sooooo happy it is sooooo good! Made this and it’s now going to be my go-to banana recipe! Bye bye bread! I made this as cupcakes. No frosting. And froze the ones we didn’t eat! Awesome leftovers!
    (Thank goodness someone put you on Pinterest! That website is great for finding recipes…and anything else on the planet!)

  94. Ruth C
    Posted September 12, 2011 at 10:38 pm | Permalink

    Hiya Drew,
    Could you please tell me the cake tin size, it looks like they are 8″, am I right? I have to buy the tins and I would hate to get the wrong ones.
    Thanks

  95. Ruth C
    Posted September 12, 2011 at 10:42 pm | Permalink

    Sorry Drew I found the answer you gave to someone else 9″ tins.
    Thanks

  96. Megan
    Posted October 20, 2011 at 4:22 pm | Permalink

    What size pans did you use for this recipe? My family always uses a regular flour frosting, but I’m so excited to try a brown sugar version!

    • Megan
      Posted October 20, 2011 at 4:23 pm | Permalink

      I just saw the comment above mine. Never mind! I hadn’t read all the way to the end of the comments.

  97. Sonya
    Posted October 24, 2011 at 9:43 pm | Permalink

    I used this recipe and tried it out planning for thanksgiving, and this turned out to be the best cupcakes I ever baked! I baked them in the oven for 18 minutes and they were perfect, and the brown sugar icing complimented it amazingly! (best frosting I ever made as well) Thankyou!

  98. Terrie
    Posted November 20, 2011 at 12:23 pm | Permalink

    I tried this recipe and loved it. I used the Brown Sugar Buttercream Frosting and it was amazing. The cake was moist, easy, and perfect. I sent half to my husbands work and it was gone in seconds.
    I use the Frosting on my favorite Chocolate cake recipe. It was so good the neighbor paid me $30.00 to make another one for her. I’m so glad I found your website.
    BTW, I use the left over frosting on toast as a quick snack. Yummy!

  99. Pam C
    Posted December 4, 2011 at 10:35 pm | Permalink

    I’m going to try making this and see if I can recreate a restaurant favorite with the cake recipe. The restaurant makes a banana mouse filling and covers the cake with a chocolate ganache and walnuts pressed into the sides of the cake. I think this cake recipe will work well, I just need to figure out the mousse.

    • Posted December 4, 2011 at 10:59 pm | Permalink

      Pam, let me know if you come up with a winner. That sounds fabulous.

  100. Shannon
    Posted January 25, 2012 at 12:36 pm | Permalink

    This cake was AMAZING! All the flavor of banana bread but with such a light fluffy texture! Once again AMAZING!

  101. Posted February 26, 2012 at 4:55 pm | Permalink

    Hello Drew, this banana cake with brown buttercream frosting looks delcious!
    Please tell m if I can make this in a bundt pan, angel food cake pan, 9″x13″ or 15″x11″ glass. I don’t have round cake pans is why I’m asking.
    Thank you! Lisa

    • Posted February 26, 2012 at 5:47 pm | Permalink

      My wife says a 9 x 13 will work. Bundt would be fun, but this amount would totally overflow it.

  102. Posted February 26, 2012 at 7:31 pm | Permalink

    Thanks Drew! By the way, should I grease & flour the pyrex 9×13? And how long to bake it in this size? Thanks so much.

    • Posted February 26, 2012 at 9:34 pm | Permalink

      “should I grease & flour the pyrex”

      Only if you want the cake to come out.

      As for time, check it at about 35 minutes. If it’s not ready, keep checking about every five minutes until it’s done. And check it quickly, if you keep the door open too long the oven will cool down and it will take forever to finish.

  103. Patricia Barnes
    Posted March 20, 2012 at 9:45 pm | Permalink

    I just baked a banana cake. It is from a very old recipe that my mom gave me. It is the best banana cake ever. I have gone on the web to research banana cake recipes and have never seen one like my moms.

  104. Victoria
    Posted April 7, 2012 at 8:47 pm | Permalink

    I never usually use a recipe that doesn’t have reviews, just because people always have good and bad things to say about a recipe and I always take the good, or what is good for my taste anyway. Boy am I glad I couldn’t stop looking at the picture of this cake on pinterest. I decided to give it a try. I am so glad I did. It came out so perfect!!! Thank you for posting this. I made it for Easter tomorrow and I can’t wait to completely dig in. My guest are gonna be asking me to make this often. I followed the recipe to the t except that I made a fluffy cream cheese frosting to go with it. I had to stick to cream cheese but I will definitley try your brown sugar next time. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

    • Posted April 7, 2012 at 9:50 pm | Permalink

      Cream cheese sounds really good for this. When you do the brown sugar, make sure it’s nice and cool before you mix it. I got lucky the first time, but the comments above are pretty clear that mixing before it’s cool guarantees it will be runny.

  105. earl andrei neri
    Posted April 12, 2012 at 9:41 pm | Permalink

    i like your banana cake too much……………….

  106. loo
    Posted April 15, 2012 at 8:49 am | Permalink

    Howmuch is a cup? can you give the measurements in gram please. There are so many different cups. I am going mad with this cup business!
    Thank you
    loo

    • Posted April 15, 2012 at 12:08 pm | Permalink

      Sorry for the difficulty, American recipes are given by volume instead of weight. It’s really stupid, but it’s been that way for fat too long for me to change it single-handedly.

      But, take a look up top, I’ll have a conversion posted shortly.

  107. Jo
    Posted May 2, 2012 at 7:58 pm | Permalink

    I tried this recipe a few weeks ago. My friends loved it! I topped it with semi-sweet chocolate chips…so yummy! Brought the left overs to my parents and they loved it too! Thanks so much for the great recipe! I will be making it again soon!

  108. Paul
    Posted May 23, 2012 at 3:45 pm | Permalink

    I would prefer a recipe card with the recipe (banana cake at the moment), and if one must subscribe to get it, and future recipe cards (forever, or for one year, or one leap year period, or whatever time period you find amusing and practical) I would be happy with that. I do not want to order recipe cards as a batch, as I enter all recipes I like into my own notebook, for handy reference without gumming up the keyboard, or destroying yet another cookbook. I have no use for a collection of recipe cards or a kitchen full of cookbooks. That’s why we have blogs, like yours. Which is very nicely done.

  109. Suzy
    Posted June 1, 2012 at 12:19 am | Permalink

    SO what if you layered it with a cream cheese mousse or frosting?

    • Posted June 1, 2012 at 8:24 pm | Permalink

      That sounds pretty awesome.

  110. Karen
    Posted July 7, 2012 at 7:04 pm | Permalink

    This is the best banana cake recipe I have ever made and have ever eaten. With the brown sugar frosting, this is my “go to” cake when I want to share something special. Thank you for the recipe. It is truly a delicious cake.

  111. audrey
    Posted July 24, 2012 at 8:01 pm | Permalink

    this was a awsome cake I loved it! it was even better when i made it for my moms birthday.

  112. engy
    Posted September 11, 2012 at 9:56 am | Permalink

    wow I like it

  113. Posted October 23, 2012 at 6:32 pm | Permalink

    I made the banana cake and the brown sugar buttercream frosting and it is just delicious. I had no problems with the icing recipe, it came out great. My hubby just loves banana cake and i have finally foung the right homemade recipe. I’m not real big on box cakes and prefer to do homemade as much as possible. Took awhile, but i have finally found the right recipe. Thank you sooooooooooooo much. This cake and icing are to die for.

  114. Posted December 11, 2012 at 12:23 pm | Permalink

    I just got done making this and I added an extra banana and replaced most of the butter in the cake (not the frosting) for coconut oil , holy crap! The cake is really good but this frosting is crazy delicious! I have a major sweet tooth and one tiny slice was a little overwhelming for me but oh so good!

  115. Posted January 13, 2013 at 1:35 am | Permalink

    I love banana cakes! It’s a specialty here in the Philippines. Can’t wait to try your recipe. Thanks for sharing :)

  116. Eileen
    Posted February 3, 2013 at 11:11 pm | Permalink

    I baked this cake yesterday and it is absolutely fantastic! This is a huge cake. I have never made this kind of icing before so I was a little nervous about it. For the icing, just a tip for others, you really have to cook the flour/milk until it is very thick and then cool it in the fridge. The brown sugar buttercream icing is to die for. Mine was not runny at all and the layers didn’t slip around like some people commented on. Cake and icing are a little more work but WELL worth the extra effort. Thanks for the recipe!

  117. Jill K
    Posted February 5, 2013 at 9:33 pm | Permalink

    So excited to try this cake for my son’s 1st birthday – he loves bananas!

    About how many servings does this recipe make?

    Thanks.

    • Posted February 6, 2013 at 7:47 am | Permalink

      It’s a 3-layer 9-inch cake.

  118. Kelly
    Posted February 9, 2013 at 1:23 pm | Permalink

    The “How to Make Banana Cake” recipe does not state if the recipe is for 8-in or 9-in cake pans. Please advise. I have two pans of each size and need to purchase another. My primary concern is having enough batter if I use my 9-in pans.

    • Posted February 11, 2013 at 11:29 am | Permalink

      Those were 9-inch pans I used.

  119. Posted March 4, 2013 at 2:26 pm | Permalink

    I made this as the top layer for my daughter ‘s wedding cake and they ended up eating it instead of saving it because I told them it was just too delicious not to enjoy at the wedding! I promised to make them another one for their anniversary ;)
    I actually filled it with my recipe for Browned Butter Bourbon Cream Cheese frosting which was heavenly! The outside was finished in regular buttercream.
    My frosting recipe:
    1/2 c butter
    1/2 c cream cheese
    1 tsp almond extract
    2 tbsp Bourbon
    1 tbsp meringue powder
    4 c sifted powdered sugar
    2-4 tbsp milk

    Brown the butter in a saucepan and let cool to lukewarm or room temp
    Beat browned butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Add meringue, extract and bourbon along with powdered sugar and 2 tbsp of the milk. Beat on low to medium low until smooth adding more milk a little at a time until it reaches the consistency you like.

    You can use this as a filling or over the entire cake, but I prefer it as a filling since it is so rich. I usually frost it with a whipped cream or buttercream on the outside.

    You can also omit the bourbon and replace it with more milk

  120. Coleah
    Posted April 21, 2013 at 7:08 am | Permalink

    I just made this yesterday- everybody LOVED it! Thanks. I’m not sure though, how you got three layers out of the recipe- I only got two, and it looks like they’re about the same size as the layers in your picture. Any thoughts? Am I just underestimating my layers?

    • Posted April 22, 2013 at 11:59 am | Permalink

      I might have smaller pans than what you used.

Subscribe to comments on this post

12 Trackbacks

  1. [...] I have said it before and I will say it again, I love baked goods made with bananas! I came across this recipe for Banana Cake on a blog I have recently discovered called “How to Cook Like Your Grandmother”. It is [...]

  2. [...] Banana Layer Cake {makes one 9-inch 3-layer cake} Recipe adapted from How To Cook Like Your Grandma [...]

  3. [...] For the cake (Adapted from How to Cook Like Your Grandmother) [...]

  4. [...] cake was an awesome banana-walnut cake (with ingredients Emma memorized & wrote down from a Dora episode), a great creamy chocolate [...]

  5. By food by lulla - Pearltrees on January 5, 2012 at 4:39 pm

    [...] Like what you see? Buy me a drink. How To Make Banana Cake | How To Cook Like Your Grandmother [...]

  6. By Dessert Five…Banana Cake | Peace For Riley on January 5, 2012 at 6:25 pm
  7. By Vice: Banana Cake | V is for… on March 23, 2012 at 12:59 pm

    [...] is the recipe from How to Cook Like Your Grandmother which is a great blog. The author Drew Kime uses photos and [...]

  8. By My 100 (Dessert Edition) « The Baking Bean on April 25, 2012 at 6:54 pm

    [...] Banana Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting [...]

  9. By Banana Cake | Dinner Intervention on May 30, 2012 at 12:37 pm

    [...] Jamie from our Facebook community shared this recipe from How to Cook Like Your Grandmother. [...]

  10. By Let them eat cake! | Food n' Focus on July 12, 2012 at 8:19 am

    [...] Banana Cake [...]

  11. By Food n' Focus – Let them eat cake! on August 15, 2012 at 5:19 pm

    [...] Banana Cake [...]

  12. By is my baby really three? | The SuchniakSix on November 18, 2012 at 8:05 pm

    [...] her cake, i made THIS awesome banana cake and brown sugar icing i’ve made many times before.  i added sprinkles [...]

Subscribe to comments on this post
  • Follow this blog

     Subscribe in a reader

    -- OR --
    To get recipes in your email
    Enter your email address:
    -- OR --
    Sign up for the weekly newsletter.Email address:
  • All-time Favorites

    Perfect Brownies
    Banana Cake
    French Onion Soup
    Egg Salad
    Onion Rings
    Bruschetta Pizza
    Peach Cobbler
    Cheesesteak
    Frozen Chocolate Truffle Pie
    Emily's Creamy Cheesecake

     

  • What Would Granny Cook?
  • No Secret Recipes
  • No Awards Please