Baking Recipes
Easy Banana Cake

Easy Banana Cake

AUTHORCassie

POSTEDJuly 23, 2019

This easy banana cake is light, moist and full of flavour. It's perfect for sharing for afternoon tea and is a great way to use up overripe bananas. Top your cake with banana slices and cinnamon sugar before baking for a delicious caramelised banana topping.

banana cake on a wooden board with a small bowl of honey.

If you've got some spotty bananas sitting on the counter it's time to make Easy Banana Cake! This cake is simple baking at it's best, using classic everyday ingredients - butter, brown sugar and flour.

The result is a light and moist banana cake that is filled with flavour. Top your cake with banana slices and some cinnamon sugar before baking to create a delicious caramelised banana topper.

Why you'll love this recipe...

Light and moist cake
Simple to prepare
Made with easy everyday ingredients
Freezes well - save some for later!

Got a bunch of spotty bananas? Try these 12 Ripe Banana Recipes to Use Up Your Bunch.

Or if you're worried you won't have time to use them up follow this guide on How to Freeze Bananas.

a slice of banana cake on a white plate with the rest of the cake on a wooden board behind.

What is the difference between Banana Cake and Banana Bread?

Banana cake is essentially butter cake with mashed banana added in for flavour. It's typically lighter and more moist than banana bread.

Banana bread is firmer and more dense, and is perfect for toasting and slathering with butter. Both are delicious and perfect ways to use up spotty bananas.

INGREDIENTS

I think there's nothing worse than going to bake something that requires a bunch of strange ingredients. This Banana Cake is made from all everyday ingredients that you probably already have on hand! Here's what you'll need (full measurements listed in the recipe card below)....

Unsalted Butter
Brown Sugar
Vanilla Extract
Egg
Ripe Bananas
Self Raising Flour
Milk - use any milk you have on hand.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon Sugar - I make this myself by mixing 3 tbsps granulated sugar with 1 & ½ teaspoons of cinnamon.

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 160C /320F and grease a round cake pan.

Melt butter and sugar in a small saucepan on low heat, stirring regularly. Remove from heat and add vanilla extract. Set aside.

Mash bananas in a large mixing bowl, then add the egg and mix well (photo 1). Add the melted butter and mix well (photo 2).

Add flour and milk to the mixing bowl and fold to combine, being careful not to overmix (photos 3 & 4).

Pour cake mixture into the greased cake pan. Arrange banana slices is a decorative pattern on top and sprinkle over cinnamon sugar (photo 5).

Bake for 40 minutes or until golden and a skewer comes out clean (photo 6). Allow to cool in the baking pan for 10 minutes, then move to a wire rack to completely cool.

How long will banana cake keep?

Banana cake will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days depending on how hot your kitchen is, or in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Can banana cake be frozen?

Absolutely - this banana cake freezes really well. Just individually wrap slices in cling film, then place in an airtight container or in a ziplock bag in the freezer for up to 2 months.

TOP TIPS

If you don't have self raising flour on hand simply use 1 & ½ cup of all purpose flour and 3 teaspoons of baking powder.
Use 2 large bananas or 3 small (lady finger size) for mixing into the cake, and one extra banana for the topping. Make sure your bananas are ripe - the darker, spottier and uglier, the better.
Make your own cinnamon sugar by mixing 3 tbsps granulated sugar with 1 & ½ teaspoons of cinnamon. You only need 1 tablespoon for this recipe but you can store the rest in an airtight jar. Sprinkle over pancakes, hot buttered toast, fruit crumbles, muffins before baking - there's so many ways to use it!
Be careful not to overmix your batter once you've added the flour in. Overmixing causes your cake to be dense. Fold the flour in until just combined.
Feel free to make without the banana slice topping if you don't have any more bananas on hand.

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If you’ve tried this Easy Banana Cake I’d love to hear how you enjoyed it! Pop a comment and a star rating below!

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RECIPE

Easy Banana Cake

Prep Time

5 minutes

Cook Time

40 minutes

Total Time

45 minutes

This easy banana cake is light, moist and full of flavour. It’s perfect for sharing for afternoon tea and is a great way to use up overripe bananas.

4.8 Stars (40 Reviews)

servings

Scale

Ingredients

1/2 cup Brown Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

2 Large Ripe Bananas

1 egg

1.5 cups Self Raising Flour

1/4 cup Milk

1 tsp Cinnamon

1 extra Banana

1 tbsp Cinnamon Sugar

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 160C / 320F and grease a round cake pan.

Melt butter and sugar in a small saucepan on low heat, stirring regularly. Remove from heat and add vanilla extract. Set aside.

Mash bananas in a large mixing bowl, then add the egg and mix well. Add the melted butter and mix well.

Add flour and milk to the mixing bowl and fold to combine, being careful not to overmix.

Pour cake mixture into the greased cake pan. Arrange banana slices is a decorative pattern on top and sprinkle over cinnamon sugar.

Bake for 40 minutes or until golden and a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool in the baking pan for 10 minutes, then move to a wire rack to completely cool.

Notes

1. Bananas - Use 2 large bananas or 3 small. Make sure your bananas are ripe - the darker, spottier and uglier, the better.

2. Flour - If you don't have self raising flour on hand simply use 1 & 1/2 cup of all purpose flour and 3 teaspoons of baking powder.

3. Cinnamon Sugar - Make your own cinnamon sugar by mixing 3 tbsps granulated sugar with 1 & 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon. You only need 1 tbsp for this recipe but you can store the rest in an airtight jar. Sprinkle over pancakes, hot buttered toast, fruit crumbles, muffins before baking - there's so many ways to use it!

4. Mixing - Be careful not to overmix your batter once you've added the flour in. Overmixing causes your cake to be dense. Fold the flour in until just combined.

5. Topping - Feel free to make without the banana slice topping if you don't have any more bananas on hand.

6. Storing - store at room temperature for 1-2 days, in the fridge for 5 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Did you make this? Tell us about it!

Nutrition Facts

Servings:8

Serving Size:1

Amount Per Serving:

Calories

293kcal

Carbohydrates

42g

Protein

Fat

13g

Saturated Fat

Polyunsaturated Fat

Cholesterol

34mg

Sodium

289mg

Fiber

Sugar

18g

Dear Cassie,
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, I followed it completely except for the sliced bananas & cinnamon sugar topping part, and it turned out just perfect, soft and not too sweet, delicious with coffee! Must admit, I mixed in a handful of chopped walnuts and homemade candied orange peels, they add a nice touch 🙂 Warm regards from Moscow, Russia

Cassie

April 29, 2020

Thank you Valeria! Made my day waking up to this. I love those additions and your homemade candied orange peels sound so good. How do you make them?

Valeria

April 29, 2020

Happy to hear that Cassie! I use 6 medium oranges to make a batch. I cut them in halves, juice them, then peel them from the inside out so the fruit pulp is gone, then cut the peels in stripes less than a quarter of an inch wide and weigh them (this tells me the weight of sugar I'm going to need for the syrup later on). Then I cook them twice in salty water (pour enough cold water to cover them and add about a tablespoonful of salt, bring to boil and simmer for 10 minutes, drain, rinse with cold running water, drain, and repeat). Repeat the cooking routine one more time without adding salt, drain and set aside. Now prepare the syrup by mixing equal parts in weight sugar and water (the weight of each is the same or slightly less than the weight of the peels before cooking), slowly bring to boil, stir till the sugar dissolves, then add the peels and press onto them lightly making sure they're all covered in syrup. Now simmer them with the lid closed (this part takes kind of long, and my original recipe said cook them with the lid open cause the point is getting the water to evaporate. With the lid closed, this still happens, but slower, and the peels get nicely saturated with the syrup). Check on them and stir them carefully not to break them up too much but to keep them evenly covered by the syrup. When there's little water left, finish the cooking with the lid open, watching for the moment before all of the water is gone and they start sticking to the bottom. Remove and spread them out onto a non-stick dish/rack (I use my glass cookware for this) and leave for a few hours to dry, tasting now and then to stop drying when they reach your preferred chewiness). Store in an airtight container. Sorry about this turning out as such a long description but I thought details matter to get it right, and I hope you enjoy this as I enjoyed your great recipe))

Cassie

April 29, 2020

Thank you so much Valeria! I really appreciate you passing this on as I'd really like to try it. Looking forward to it 🙂 Thanks again

Irene Reddacliff

January 12, 2021

I tried it. It's not too sweet. Iove. it

Cassie

January 12, 2021

That's great Irene! So glad you enjoyed this one 🙂

Jane

April 14, 2021

I am so happy I found you I am new to air frying love the way you present your recipes very prociseand easy to follow which is what I need

Maria

April 17, 2022

Love this Banana cake recipe very soft and not too sweet and easy to make. Thankyou.

Sandra

January 24, 2023

I just found this recipe today when doing a search for using up 2 bananas that were getting very ripe. I normally make banana bread but wanted to try something a bit different. I didn't have an extra banana to slice onto the top, but I did sprinkle some sliced almonds before baking. This is delicious and a nice change from the heavier banana bread I normally make. Thank you also for the directions that include how to make with when one is lacking the self-rising flour. I am in the USA, and it is not a common thing to use self-rising flour here.

Keith Pocock

February 7, 2023

Hi, could someone please tell me what size cake tin I need for this?

Carole B

February 27, 2025

The most easiest of banana cakes to make

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