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Best Banana Cake Recipe
This is the Best Banana Cake recipe because it’s not only delicious, but it’s also no fuss. Sometimes simplest is best!
I’ve kept it single layer but topped it with a magnificent Kahlua and coffee whipped cream. It’s a triple threat of desserts, simple, delicious and gorgeous!
Why this is the Best Banana Cake
- Perfect banana flavor! Using ripe bananas, this is moist and perfectly flavored. Not too sweet.
- Amazing cake topping. Kahlua and espresso mixed with homemade whipped cream, for fluffy and creamy topping. Top with fresh banana slices – so good.
- No fuss. There’s some mixing involved but then it’s straight into the oven.
Ingredients
For the Banana Cake
- Flour: All purpose flour.
- Baking Soda: To help the rise and make the cake fluffy.
- Salt: Table salt is best.
- Bananas: Very ripe.
- Sour Cream
- Pure Vanilla Extract
- Butter: Unsalted and at room temp.
- Sugar: You’ll need granulated sugar and brown sugar.
- Eggs: Large and at room temp. Ideally go for free range.
- Cinnamon: Optional
- Garnish: Banana slices.
For the Kahlua Espresso Cream
- Heavy Whipping Cream
- Confectioner’s sugar: Powdered sugar.
- Espresso Powder
How to make the Best Banana Cake
You can jump to the recipe card for full ingredients & instructions!
Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a bowl. In another bowl mix bananas, sour cream and vanilla.
Then in a stand mixer, beat the butter until cream. Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Incorporate the eggs and add flour.
Then add the banana mixture and mix at a low speed until almost all the flour is gone.
Pour the cake batter into a baking dish and bake for around 50 mins.
For the Kahlua topping, whisk the cream in a mixer and add the remaining ingredients. Finally spread onto the cooled banana cake.
Serve and enjoy!
Kahlua Whipped Cream
This homemade whipped cream is so easy to make and packs a punch of coffee flavor, complimenting the banana cake beautifully.
Kahlua Whipped Cream adds a wonderful extra special and extra flavorful touch to desserts. The flavor is a sweet touch of Kahlua and a hint of bitterness of espresso, without the Kahlua being too overpowering or tasting harshly of alcohol.
Best Bananas for Banana Cake
The best bananas for banana bread are closer to brown or black than yellow or green. Go for the ones that are streaked with black and brown spots. The darker the better: there’s no such thing as a too-ripe banana when you’re making banana bread or cake.
At this stage, they’re super sweet and because they’re so soft, they’re easy to mash and use for baking.
Tip: Grocery stores often have a section of over-ripe bananas that they’ll sell in bulk for a much lower price. So keep an eye out for those if you’re thinking of making this cake!
If your bananas are under-ripe, you can ripen them quickly in the oven:
- Preheat the oven 350°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean-up.
- Separate the bananas and remove the peels, then bake on a baking sheet for 15 to 30 minutes, until they’re black on the outside and very tender inside.
- Let them cool before handling.
Can you freeze Banana Cake?
The cake itself (without the whipped cream topping) will freeze well. Carefully wrap the cake in a double layer of clingwrap and a layer of foil, and freeze for up to 3 months.
To defrost the cake, unwrap it and put it on a wire rack at room temperature for 3-4 hours.
Tips!
- The riper your bananas the better! I prefer mine to be mostly brown (which I did not have when I made the video below… food blogger fail), the riper they are the more flavorful your banana cake will be.
- Ensure your ingredients are at room temperature (eggs and butter).
- When adding the flour mixture you want to mix until just combined. Over-mixing will cause a dense chewy result.
- The cooking time on this cake can vary. Check your cake at 50 minutes, if it isn’t ready, continue cooking until a toothpick comes out clean (this can be up to an additional 20 minutes depending on your oven). The result will be a moist and irresistible banana cake.
Other delicious banana desserts
- No Bake Banana Split Dessert
- Peanut Butter Banana Bundt Cake
- Banana Split Dump Cake
- Easy Banana Pancakes
- Brown Butter Banana Bread
- Chocolate Chip Banana Bars
And try some of our other favorite cake recipes, like our Kentucky Butter Cake, Pink Grapefruit Cake, or Berry Coffee Cake.
If you make this recipe be sure to upload a photo in the comment section below or leave a rating. Enjoy! You can also jump to recipe.
Banana Cake with Kahlua Whipped Cream
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
- 8×8-inch Baking Pan
- Stand Mixer
Ingredients
For the Banana Cake
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour 180 grams
- 1 teaspoon baking soda 6 grams
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt 6 grams
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 3 grams, optional
- 3 very ripe bananas mashed (about 1 cup mashed)
- ½ cup sour cream 114 grams, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract 12 grams
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter 113 grams, room temperature (1 stick)
- ½ cup granulated sugar 100 grams
- ½ cup brown sugar 107 grams
- 2 large eggs 100 grams, room temperature
For the Kahlua Espresso Cream
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream 454 grams
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar 7 grams
- 1 tablespoon Kahlua coffee liqueur 14 grams
- 2 teaspoons espresso powder 5 grams
For Garnish
- 1 ripe banana sliced, optional
Instructions
For the Banana Cake
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350°F. Spray an 8×8-inch baking pan with nonstick spray and line it with a parchment paper sling (with a 2-inch overhang on each side). Set aside.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together in a medium bowl. Set aside.1½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- In a separate medium bowl, mix the bananas, sour cream, and vanilla together. Set aside.3 very ripe bananas, ½ cup sour cream, 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 3 minutes.8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, as needed.½ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup brown sugar
- Add the eggs and mix until incorporated.2 large eggs
- Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until just a little flour still shows.
- Add the banana mixture and mix, on low speed, until combined.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer and scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula. Finish mixing until all ingredients are incorporated.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking dish and bake at 350°F for 45-55, minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The top will be a dark golden brown.
- Transfer the cake to a cooling rack and cool 20 minutes. Use the parchment sling to carefully remove the cake from the pan. Peel the sides of the parchment paper away from the cake and cool completely.
For the Kahlua Espresso Cream
- Pour the cream into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.2 cups heavy whipping cream
- Whisk the cream, on high speed, until it begins to thicken.
- Add the remaining ingredients, and continue whisking until the cream thickens to the desired consistency.1 tablespoon powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon Kahlua coffee liqueur, 2 teaspoons espresso powder
To Serve
- Serve pieces of cake with a dollop of cream on top and a cup of hot coffee (or tea) on the side. If desired, serve a slice or two of a perfectly ripened banana along with the whipped cream.1 ripe banana
Becky’s Tips
- Note: This bread taste best with very ripe – evenly overly ripe bananas.
- Ensure your ingredients are at room temperature (eggs and butter).
- When adding the flour mixture you want to mix until just combined. Over-mixing will cause a dense chewy result.
- The cooking time on this cake can vary. Check your cake at 50 minutes, if it isn’t ready, continue cooking until a toothpick comes out clean (this can be up to an additional 20 minutes depending on your oven). The result will be a moist and irresistible banana cake.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment!
