Banana Snack Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
My baking motivations come from a myriad of different sources. Sometimes I’ve had a recipe bookmarked for months… sometimes I see something on Pinterest that I want to make immediately… sometimes something in a magazine makes a light bulb go off… and sometimes I have grandparents coming over for lunch and four way, way overripe bananas sitting on my counter. Thus, banana cake!
In an effort to put together a casual dessert for lunch with my grandparents and also use up my quickly-going-bad bananas, I though that an easy snack-style cake would be a great choice. I typically turn to banana bread when I need to put browning bananas to good use, and was looking forward to having another easy banana baked good in my rotation for such occasions.
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This cake turned out exactly how I’d hoped; it’s easy to make, comes together quickly, incredibly moist and, most importantly, delicious. Originally, I wasn’t going to include a frosting, but I just couldn’t help myself. I love frosting, especially cream cheese frosting. If you’re a fellow frosting lover, I think you’ll find this to be amazing. My mom, my grandpap and I all gave it a big two thumbs up. If you’re a little more ambivalent about frosting, you might consider scaling it back; both my grandma and Chief Culinary Consultant thought the frosting could have maybe been halved. (What!? Who are these people?! How are they related to me?!)
Do you have a favorite recipe you turn to when there is a plethora of browning bananas on your counter?
More Favorite Banana Recipes
- Grandma’s Banana Nut Bread
- Hummingbird Cake
- Banana Cream Pie
- No Bake Banana Split Dessert
- Southern Banana Pudding
Banana Snack Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt
- 1⅓ cups (266.67 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (54.5 ml) vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 4 ripe bananas, mashed
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
- ½ cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- Pinch salt
- 4 cups (480 g) powdered sugar
- 1½ teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) vanilla extract
Instructions
- Make the Cake: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
- Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar and oil together on medium speed until completely combined. Add both eggs and beat to combine, then add the mashed bananas and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk, mixing until combined. Use a rubber spatula to give the batter one last mix, then pour into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Set on a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the Cream Cheese Frosting: With an electric mixer, cream together the cream cheese, butter and salt on medium speed. Reduce the speed to medium-low and gradually add the powdered sugar until it has all been combined. Add the vanilla extract, increase the speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy.
- Spread the frosting over the cooled cake, cut into squares and serve. Leftovers should be covered with plastic wrap or placed in an airtight container and kept at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
I don’t think I have ever had banana cake. This looks delicious!
Cream cheese frosting is my favorite and I love banana anything! Can’t believe I’ve never thought to pair these two! Your cake looks delicious!
I completely agree. Never, ever halve the frosting. DOUBLE =)
I think I will be trying this once the weather turns a bit cooler. It’s way too stuffy to have the oven on this year. Which is terrible, because I’m craving those brownies I found here!
Love snack cake! I always have overripe bananas lying around…this seems like a good solution!
this looks so good! i bet some homemade caramel sauce would be great on it!
xoxo kaitlin
this looks so yummy. Sweet banana cake and cream cheese frosting, YUM! what more could a girl ask for?
What a great way to use up my aging bananas! It looks like a super-moist frosted version of banana bread. Can’t wait to give it a try.
Since it’s called snack cake that means I can snack on it all the time right?
I have got to try this!
Curses! I only have three browning bananas in my kitchen ATM! I need to go get more a the store today so they’ll too be ready to be made into this delicious-looking cake. Hopefully this weekend!
Hooray for banana snack cake! Your combo is a winning combo :)
It makes me wish I could reach through the screen and try a bite
When I make the recipe it’ll be dessert for me and the family
Who doesn’t have browning bananas!? Who wouldn’t want a nice layer of yummy frosting….silly people. I must hurry to the kitchen there are bananas waiting.
The best thing about this is that it’s a perfectly acceptable breakfast because of the bananas :) Love it! Banana bread/cake…whatever – I’m in!
Good Morning Michelle! I’m always looking for a good banana cake recipe. I hope this one fits the bill. It looks delicious and I like the fact it uses oil verses butter. I hoping for a texture like my favorite carrot cake recipe which also uses oil. Thanks!
Looks yum! Is this an original recipe of yours?
Yes!
Oh yum! Like banana bread, but more sweet and delicate.
I make banana bread muffins when my bananas are overripe, but I use a gluten free/paleo version to save on some calories. They are still magnificent though!
I make a recipe similar to this.
I just made it and every time I do my family goes nuts for the cake. It is simply delicious.
I love banana baked goods with cream cheese frosting! Perfect use for old bananas!
This looks fantastic!
Such a great cake! It looks SO moist, and I bet it is absolutely to die for with that cream cheese frosting on top!
When my bananas start to go brown I either freeze them for smoothies or I make my chocolate chip-espresso banana bread that has no oil or butter and I use half stevia and half brown sugar in the recipe. It is my favorite banana bread!
This snack cake sounds awesome!
I’m so pinning this recipe! My family is going to love it!
I love banana snack cakes and yours looks delicious!!
Just added bananas to the grocery list. Clearly delayed gratification coming since the bananas are still at the store. I make ‘Chunky Monkey Cookies’ as a part of my ‘Dead Banana Diaries’ rotation.
I could snack on this all day! And that cream cheese frosting – SWOON!
There’s a pinterest banana snack cake that I see everywhere I turn – this cake is everywhere. It sort of haunts me – in a beautiful way. Because I love banana cakes! And your cake looks like that cake that Ive been meaning to make now for about…2 years. Gorgeous, Michelle. Pinned. And so glad you did the frosting. I am all about frosting on cake, especially cream cheese frosting!
I’ve had a recipe for banana snack cake pinned for awhile now, and regret that I haven’t made it yet! Yours looks delicious, and I think the amount of frosting looks perfect. There’s no such thing as too much when it comes to cream cheese frosting in my book.
I love bananas and love them in cake form even more! YUMMY!
I love that thick layer of cream cheese frosting! This cake is such a perfect use for my too ripe bananas.
Yummm!!
has anyone actually made this cake? I followed the recipe and mine came out flat and gooey gross. I cook regularly so I don’t think it was entirely me. If you love banana cake, I don’t recommend this recipe.
I’ve made it but changed a couple of things. Beat 1/4 cup butter with the oil and added 1/2 tsp baking POWDER …light and moist best banana cake ever.
I wish I read your comment before making this. I had to cover the pan with foil and bake it for another 15 minutes…and it was edible. There is something definitely wrong with this recipe.
It’s my go to banana cake now, got rid of all my other recipes. Just be careful of the amount of banana, I made it once with 4 LARGE bananas and it was a lot heavier. So 4 small or medium sized….also I put 1/2 stick of butter (1/4 cup) and beat that with the oil and sugar, you don’t have to use butter but personally, a cake is not a cake if it doesn’t have butter :) and then like I said, I added 1/2 tsp baking powder with the dry ingredients and I think the cake is perfect. Don’t forget to bake it in the size tin stated otherwise you will be waiting forever for it to bake. Good luck.
I just made this and it turned out great. I always use applesauce instead of oil when I bake. That was the only change I made to this cake. YUMMY :)