Moist Banana Cake (Printer-Friendly)
Light, fluffy banana cake with ripe bananas and optional nuts or cream cheese frosting. Easy, moist, crowd-pleasing.
# What You'll Need:
→ Wet Ingredients
01 - 3 large ripe bananas, mashed
02 - ½ cup buttermilk (or ½ cup whole milk mixed with 1 teaspoon 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 teaspoons vanilla extract
→ Dry Ingredients
08 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
09 - 1 teaspoon baking powder
10 - 1 teaspoon baking soda
11 - ¼ teaspoon salt
→ Optional Topping
12 - ⅔ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
13 - Cream cheese frosting (optional)
# How-To Steps:
01 - Preheat the 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, approximately 3 to 4 minutes.
03 - Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir 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. Take care not to overmix, as this can produce a dense texture.
06 - Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth the surface with a spatula. Sprinkle chopped walnuts or pecans over the top if desired.
07 - Bake on the center oven rack for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
08 - Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then carefully transfer it to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
09 - Once the cake has cooled completely, spread cream cheese frosting evenly over the top if desired. Slice and serve.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The crumb is impossibly soft and stays moist for days, even without frosting.
- It uses pantry staples and comes together in one bowl with zero fancy techniques.
02 -
- Overmixing the batter once the flour goes in develops gluten and turns your tender cake dense and rubbery.
- Underripe bananas will leave pale, bland spots in the crumb, so wait until the skins are heavily speckled or fully brown.
03 -
- Freeze your overripe bananas whole in their peels, then thaw them in a bowl overnight for instant baking readiness any day of the week.
- A thin layer of cream cheese frosting mixed with a spoonful of maple syrup takes this from everyday cake to something people will not stop talking about.