Banana Cream Cake
Banana Cream Cake is a luscious, nostalgic dessert combining moist banana cake layers with velvety custard filling and fluffy whipped cream frosting for a dreamy, crowd-pleasing treat. Perfect for birthdays, brunches, or sweet celebrations, it captures the timeless flavor of banana cream pie in cake form with endless ways to customize and enjoy.
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- – 3 cups of all-purpose flour
- – ½ teaspoon of salt
- – 2 cups of granulated sugar
- – 2 teaspoons of baking powder
- – ½ teaspoon of baking soda
- – ¾ cup of butter softened to room temperature
- – 3 large eggs also at room temperature
- – 1 cup of buttermilk
- – 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- – 1 teaspoon of banana extract
- – 3 ripe bananas mashed
For the Icing:
- – 8 ounces of cream cheese softened to room temperature
- – ½ cup of butter also at room temperature
- – 3 teaspoons of milk or cream
- – 1 teaspoon of banana extract or substitute with vanilla extract
- – 1½ cups of powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Grease an 8-inch layer cake pan—those with higher sides work best to accommodate the batter.
- In a mixing bowl, cream together the granulated sugar and softened butter until the mixture is smooth and fluffy.
- Add the buttermilk along with the vanilla and banana extracts, mixing until fully incorporated.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition to ensure they are well mixed in.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, alternating additions, and mix until everything is thoroughly combined.
- Gently fold in the mashed bananas until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake on the center oven rack for approximately 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Once baked, transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool, then carefully remove it from the pan.
- Using a serrated bread knife or a cake leveler, slice the cake horizontally to create two even layers.
- Now, make the icing by combining the cream cheese, butter, milk or cream, and banana (or vanilla) extract. Beat the mixture until it becomes light and fluffy.
- Gradually add the powdered sugar, a little at a time, and continue mixing until the icing is smooth and creamy.
- Generously spread the frosting over the bottom layer of the cake, making sure to cover the entire surface without spilling over the edge.
- Place the second cake layer on top and spread frosting generously over the top, again stopping just at the edge.
- Refrigerate the cake until the frosting is firm and set before slicing and serving.
Notes
For optimal flavor and texture, choose ripe bananas that have a few brown spots on their peel. Their natural sweetness and intensified banana flavor make them perfect for baking. If you'd like to get a head start, you can bake the cake layers a day in advance—just wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and keep them at room temperature. To maintain the cake’s freshness and avoid sogginess, it's best to assemble it with the banana cream filling and frosting on the day you plan to serve it.