Oh This? It’s Nothing. Just A Little Thing We Call The Best Banana Cake Recipe, Ever.
Name a major milestone event—wedding, baby shower, birthdays big and small—and we’ll tell you we served this banana layer cake. Banana cake may sound like a humble thing, but the way we make it, the cake is a milestone all of its own! Loaded with caramelized bananas and walnuts, made wonderfully moist by the addition of creamy buttermilk, this banana cake recipe is all kinds of special. Topped with a zillion candles, graduation message or simply a layer of whipped cream frosting, this cake is guaranteed to please any crowd that needs pleasing! Try banana bread next!
What You’ll Need To Make A Truly Moist Banana Cake
While banana bread is sort of a plain Jane food—one that we happen to love—there’s something wonderful about a banana cake that walks that tightrope between familiar and unexpected so well. It’s familiar—everyone knows what bananas taste like—and most people have positive associations with the mild, sweet flavor of banana bread. But it’s also unexpected—a banana layer cake? What? They expect carrot, chocolate, funfetti, lemon—but banana? Hold the phone. It’s surprising in the gentlest way, and we’ve found that it’s always a big hit. Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy banana cake:
- Bananas
- Flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Butter—always use unsalted butter for baking.
- Sugar—you’ll need both brown and white sugar.
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Buttermilk
- Walnuts
How To Make Banana Cake
We’ll give it to you straight—a layer cake is always a bit of an undertaking. But the good news is that making this banana nut cake is time consuming, not complicated. You just need a little patience, and you’ll be able to totally nail it. Here’s how to make a banana cake:
- Prep your cake pans. This is a must! First, thoroughly coat the pans with butter. Then, sprinkle flour into the greased pan and shake it around to cover the entire pan with a nice layer of flour. This will prevent sticking, which is super important.
- Caramelize the bananas in some butter and brown sugar. Try not to eat them all before smashing them and mixing them into the cake batter.
- Make the cake batter! The usual order of things applies—dry ingredients sifted together. Cream the butter with the sugars, then add the eggs, then the smashed caramelized bananas. Slowly add the dry ingredients a little at a time, and alternate between adding dry ingredients and buttermilk. Finish by gently folding in the walnuts.
- Bake the cake!
- Let the cakes cool in their pans.
- Make the frosting!
- Frost the cake! You can decide if you’d rather leave the cake layers whole for a two-layer cake, or slice them in half to make a four-layer cake. Whatever you do, though, don’t try to frost the cake until the cakes are completely cool.
- Eat the cake! YAY!
Banana Cake Frosting
A lot of people love to frost banana cake with cream cheese frosting, but we’re all about this simple whipped cream frosting. It’s just so light and luscious, and compliments this humble, surprising cake in a way that we adore. Plus, it’s as un-fussy as can be. You’ve made whipped cream before, right? That’s basically all that this is. All that’s in our banana cake frosting is:
- Heavy whipping cream
- Sugar
- Vanilla extract
More Cookie and Cake Recipes To Try
Ever thought that maybe you needed to make a little more space in your life for dessert? Yeah, us too. Here are a few we’ve been lusting after lately:
- Yogurt and Olive Oil Pistachio Cake With Lemon Buttercream
- Cookie Brittle
- Salty Dark and Milk Chocolate Skillet Cookie
- Coconut Caramel Pecan Bars
Tools You’ll Need:
- Stand mixer, hand-held mixer or some serious elbow grease.
- Mixing bowl.
- A sifter is handy, but not a must.
- Measuring cups
- Cake pans
Any Day is A Special Day When There’s Layer Cake Involved!
You know how just making it to dinnertime sometimes feels like something to celebrate! We’re 10000% in favor of making this banana layer cake recipe anytime you feel like it. When you make it—whatever you’re celebrating—let us know how it goes OK? Share a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so that we can see your stuff! Happy eating!
