Moist Banana Cake (Printable)
Tender, moist banana cake with ripe banana flavor, tender crumb and optional cream cheese frosting.
# What You'll Need:
→ Wet Ingredients
01 - 3 large ripe bananas, mashed
02 - ½ cup buttermilk (or milk with 1 tsp lemon juice)
03 - ½ cup vegetable oil
04 - ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
05 - 1 cup granulated sugar
06 - 2 large eggs
07 - 2 tsp vanilla extract
→ Dry Ingredients
08 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
09 - 1 tsp baking powder
10 - 1 tsp baking soda
11 - ¼ tsp salt
→ Optional Topping
12 - ⅔ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
13 - Cream cheese frosting (optional)
# How-To Steps:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line a 9-inch round or square cake pan with parchment paper.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together using an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
03 - Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the mashed bananas, buttermilk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined.
04 - In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly distributed.
05 - Gradually fold the dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredients using a spatula, mixing until just combined. Do not overmix to keep the cake tender.
06 - Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Sprinkle chopped nuts over the surface if desired.
07 - Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
08 - Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
09 - Once fully cooled, spread cream cheese frosting over the top if desired. Slice and serve.
# Expert Suggestions:
01 -
- This cake turns sad, forgotten bananas into something people genuinely fight over at potlucks.
- It stays impossibly moist for days, which means you can bake it on Tuesday and still be eating perfect slices by Friday.
02 -
- Overmixing the batter once the flour goes in will give you a dense, chewy cake instead of the tender crumb you want.
- Underripe bananas will taste flat and starchy, so wait until the peels are heavily spotted or fully brown.
03 -
- If you are short on ripe bananas, roast unpeeled bananas at 150 degrees Celsius for about fifteen minutes until the skins blacken and the insides soften beautifully.
- A dollop of sour cream swirled into the frosting adds a slight tang that cuts through the sweetness perfectly.