香蕉蛋糕
A plush, old-fashioned American banana sheet cake crowned with tangy cream cheese frosting — softer and finer-crumbed than banana bread, with deep banana flavor in every bite. Creaming the butter with both granulated and brown sugar builds a light, tender structure, while buttermilk and 400 grams of truly ripe bananas keep the crumb moist for days. It bakes in one 9x13-inch pan, so there is no layering or leveling — just frost, slice, and serve.
Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F) and grease a 9x13-inch pan. Whisk 315 g flour with 1 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp salt. Beat 170 g softened butter with 200 g granulated and 100 g brown sugar until fluffy, then beat in 3 eggs one at a time and 2 tsp vanilla. Mix in 400 g mashed very ripe bananas, then add the flour mixture in three parts alternating with 240 ml buttermilk, mixing just until combined. Spread into the pan and bake 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool completely in the pan, about 1 hour, then frost with cream cheese frosting made from 225 g cream cheese, 85 g butter, 250 g powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, and a pinch of salt.
- Use heavily speckled, almost-black bananas and weigh them — 400 g (1 1/2 cups) mashed gives full flavor without a gummy crumb.
- Once the flour goes in, mix only until the last streak disappears; overmixing makes banana cake dense and tunneled.
- Cool the cake completely before frosting, or the cream cheese frosting will melt and slide off.
Equipment
- 9x13-inch (23x33 cm) baking pan
- Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
- Two mixing bowls
- Whisk
- Flexible spatula
- Wire cooling rack
- Toothpick or cake tester
食材
Banana Cake
- 400 g very ripe bananas, mashed, about 4 medium, peels heavily speckled or black
- 315 g all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 5 g baking soda
- 3 g fine salt
- 170 g unsalted butter, softened
- 200 g granulated sugar
- 100 g light brown sugar, packed
- large eggs, room temperature
- 10 ml vanilla extract
- 240 ml buttermilk, room temperature; or 240 ml milk stirred with 1 tbsp lemon juice, rested 5 minutes
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 225 g full-fat brick cream cheese, softened, not the spreadable tub kind
- 85 g unsalted butter, softened
- 250 g powdered sugar, sifted if lumpy
- 5 ml vanilla extract
- fine salt
步骤
- 步骤01
Set a rack in the center of the oven and heat it to 175°C (350°F). Grease a 9x13-inch (23x33 cm) baking pan with butter or nonstick spray. For easy lifting later, line it with a strip of parchment that overhangs the two long sides.
- 步骤02
Peel the bananas and mash them with a fork until mostly smooth with a few small lumps — you need 400 g (1 1/2 cups). In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- 步骤03
In a large bowl, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, scraping the bowl once. This traps the air that gives the cake its light crumb, so do not rush it.
- 步骤04
Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing until each is fully absorbed before adding the next, then beat in the vanilla. Add the mashed bananas and mix on low just until combined — the batter may look slightly curdled, which is normal and resolves once the flour goes in.
- 步骤05
With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk in two additions, beginning and ending with flour. Stop the mixer as soon as the last streak of flour disappears and give the bowl a final fold with a spatula.
- 步骤06
Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the cake is golden, springs back when lightly pressed, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Start checking at 35 minutes.
- 步骤07
Set the pan on a wire rack and let the cake cool completely, about 1 hour. Any warmth left in the cake will thin the frosting and make it slide, so be patient here.
- 步骤08
Beat the cream cheese and butter on medium speed until completely smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt and beat on low until incorporated, then on medium until creamy. Spread over the cooled cake in swoops, slice into 12 squares, and serve.
Make ahead
Bake the cake up to 2 days ahead, cool it fully, and keep it tightly wrapped in the pan at room temperature. The frosting can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated; let it soften at room temperature and re-beat briefly until spreadable before frosting. You can also freeze overripe bananas whenever you have them — thaw, drain the excess liquid, and mash when you are ready to bake.
Storage
Because of the cream cheese frosting, store the frosted cake covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days; let squares sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before serving so the crumb softens. Unfrosted cake keeps tightly wrapped at room temperature for 2 days. Frosted or unfrosted squares freeze well for up to 2 months wrapped in plastic and foil — thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Variations
Banana Walnut Cake
Fold 100 g (1 cup) toasted, chopped walnuts or pecans into the batter with the last addition of flour, and scatter a few more over the frosting. Toasting the nuts for 8 minutes at 175°C first keeps them crunchy inside the moist crumb.
Chocolate Chip Banana Cake
Toss 170 g (1 cup) semisweet chocolate chips with 1 tablespoon of the measured flour and fold them in at the end; the flour coating keeps them from sinking. Skip the frosting and dust with powdered sugar if you prefer it less sweet.
Gluten-Free Swap
Replace the all-purpose flour with an equal weight (315 g) of a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend that contains xanthan gum, such as a rice-flour-based blend. Let the batter rest 10 minutes before baking to hydrate the flours, and expect the bake time to run 3-5 minutes longer.
Serve with
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition values are estimates based on the metric measurements. Adjust as needed.
常见问题
How ripe should the bananas be for this banana cake recipe?
As ripe as you can stand — the peels should be heavily speckled or nearly black. Underripe bananas are starchy and mild, so the cake will taste flat and can bake up gummy. If your bananas are not there yet, bake them unpeeled at 150°C (300°F) for about 15 minutes until the skins blacken, then cool and mash.
What is the difference between banana cake and banana bread?
Banana bread is a dense quick bread mixed with the muffin method (wet into dry, often with oil), while banana cake is a true butter cake: the butter and sugar are creamed to aerate the batter, and buttermilk plus baking soda give a finer, softer, more open crumb. This banana cake recipe also uses proportionally more sugar and fat than a typical bread, which is what makes it eat like dessert.
Can I use frozen bananas?
Yes. Thaw them completely in a bowl, then pour off most of the watery liquid they release before mashing — otherwise the extra moisture can make the center dense. Weigh the drained, mashed fruit to 400 g so the ratio stays correct.
Can I bake this as a layer cake or cupcakes instead of a sheet cake?
Absolutely. Divide the batter between two greased and parchment-lined 9-inch (23 cm) round pans and bake at 175°C (350°F) for 26-30 minutes, or fill 24 lined muffin cups two-thirds full and bake 18-21 minutes. Double the frosting if you want a filled and fully frosted layer cake.
Why did my banana cake sink in the middle?
The usual culprits are too much banana (measure 400 g, not 'about 4 bananas' of any size), underbaking, or opening the oven door before the structure sets. Test the very center with a toothpick — it should come out with only a few moist crumbs — and leave the door closed for the first 30 minutes of baking.
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