Name: Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 15
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1/2 cup unsalted butter, diced; 2 cups all purpose flour; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon salt; 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon; 1 teaspoon cardamom; 1/2 cup whole milk greek yogurt; 2 cups mashed banana; 1 cup dark brown sugar; 4 eggs; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 8 oz cream cheese; 1/4 cup unsalted butter; 3 cups confectioner’s sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

The best Brown Butter Banana Cake with perfectly fluffy cream cheese frosting! This cake is tender, moist, and full of spice and banana flavor. The cake batter comes together in one bowl and is so easy to make!

Delicious Brown Butter Banana Cake Recipe

If you love banana flavored things then you are going to absolutely love this simple banana cake recipe! This cake is filled with mashed banana which not only gives it a delicious flavor but also an incredibly moist texture. Not only is this cake delicious, the recipe is also relatively simple and easy to make. It’s the perfect cake recipe to make for a crowd and is sure to be a hit with everyone!

Ingredients

Unsalted Butter: look, I love a good brown butter moment and this banana cake has just the right touch of nutty brown butter in every single bite.

All-Purpose Flour: you’ll need two cups all-purpose flour for this banana cake. If you need a gluten-free alternative, I’ve included it below.

Spices: this cake is full of delicious flavor from ground cinnamon and ground cardamom.

Banana: you obviously can’t have a banana cake without plenty of mashed banana. You’ll need around two cups banana for this cake. Be sure your banana are nice and ripe with plenty of brown spots before mashing.

Brown Sugar: dark brown sugar gives this cake just the right touch of sweetness.

Eggs: you’ll need around four large eggs for this cake.

Vanilla Extract: you’ll need plenty of this for both the cake batter and the cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese: speaking of cream cheese frosting, you’ll need an eight ounce brick of cream cheese for this recipe.

Confectioner’s Sugar: you can’t have a good cream cheese frosting without it.

Ingredient Substitutions

Butter – swap the butter for your favorite vegan butter or use a neutral oil instead.
Flour – swap the all-purpose flour for your favorite gluten free all-purpose flour to keep these bars gluten free. I love using this gluten free flour when I need it.
Spices – don’t love the flavor of cardamom? you can leave it out.
Cream Cheese – use your favorite vegan cream cheese if needed!

Helpful Kitchen Tools

small skillet – this is my favorite skillet to use for browning butter.

MEASURING CUPS / MEASURING SPOONS – to be sure you get those accurate measurements for a perfect cake.

mixing bowls – you’ll need two mixing bowls for this recipe; one for the wet ingredients and another for dry.

whisk – I like to use a large balloon whisk to mix together the wet ingredients in the batter.

silicone spatula – this is my favorite thing to use for combining the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and creating the batter.

parchment paper – line your cake pan with parchment paper to make removing the cake from the pan even easier. It also helps with clean up!

9×13 cake pan – this is the perfect cake pan to use for this recipe.

wooden skewers – I like to use these to check the doneness of my cake. When the skewer comes out “clean” without any batter attached to it, then you know the cake is done.

offset spatula – I love using this to evenly spread the cream cheese frosting over the cake.

How to Make This Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Step One: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 sheet cake pan with avocado oil or non-stick spray and then line with parchment paper.

Step Two: Add the diced butter to a small skillet or pot. Heat the skillet to medium heat. The butter will start to melt as the skillet heats up. Allow the butter to bubble and “cook” until it begins to change from a bright yellow color to a golden brown color. Continually stir the butter as you see the foam start to dissipate and brown bits begin to form in the bottom of the pan. Cook and stir the butter until it is a golden brown color and has a nutty aroma. Remove the butter from the heat and transfer to a heat safe dish to let cool slightly.

Step Three: Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cardamom to a large mixing bowl. Whisk together until well combined and set aside.

Step Four: To another large mixing bowl add the oil, greek yogurt, mashed banana, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. Whisk together until well combined.

Step Five: Carefully fold the dry ingredients into the wet until mixed. Then, pour the batter into the pan, using an offset spatula to spread the batter into an even layer in the pan.

Step Six: Bake the cake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cake completely on a wire rack. Be sure the cake is completely cooled and not warm before adding the frosting.

Step Seven: Once the cake has cooled completely, cover with the cream cheese frosting. You can place it in the fridge to help the cream cheese frosting set up a bit. Slice and serve.

Can I Bake This Cake in a Different Sized Pan?

Yes! You could also try baking this cake in a two separate round layer cake pan if you prefer. Just be sure to grease and flour your pans before adding the batter. The cake layers will likely need to bake for around 20-25 minutes.

How to Store

You can store the cake in the fridge for up to 3-4 days, if it lasts that long!

Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

Author: Ashlea Carver
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: 15 1x
Category: Dessert
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian

Print Recipe

Author: Ashlea Carver
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: 15 1x
Category: Dessert
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter, diced
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 cup whole milk greek yogurt
2 cups mashed banana
1 cup dark brown sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup unsalted butter
3 cups confectioner’s sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

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Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 sheet cake pan with avocado oil or non-stick spray and then line with parchment paper.
Make the brown butter: Add the diced butter to a small skillet or pot. Heat the skillet to medium heat. The butter will start to melt as the skillet heats up. Allow the butter to bubble and “cook” until it begins to change from a bright yellow color to a golden brown color. Continually stir the butter as you see the foam start to dissipate and brown bits begin to form in the bottom of the pan. Cook and stir the butter until it is a golden brown color and has a nutty aroma. Remove the butter from the heat and transfer to a heat safe dish to let cool slightly.
Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cardamom to a large mixing bowl. Whisk together until well combined and set aside.
To another large mixing bowl add the oil, greek yogurt, mashed banana, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. Whisk together until well combined.
Carefully fold the dry ingredients into the wet until mixed. Then, pour the batter into the pan, using an offset spatula to spread the batter into an even layer in the pan.
Bake the cake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cake completely on a wire rack. Be sure the cake is completely cooled and not warm before adding the frosting.
Make the Cream Cheese Frosting: Add the cream cheese and butter to a large mixing bowl. Cream the butter and cream cheese together on high until smooth and creamy. Next, add the confectioner’s sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt. Beat the frosting on low speed for around 30 seconds to incorporate and then increase to high speed. Beat the frosting on high for around 2 minutes until fluffy.
Once the cake has cooled completely, cover with the cream cheese frosting. You can place it in the fridge to help the cream cheese frosting set up a bit. Slice and serve.