This banana cake recipe really takes ‘basic banana cake’ to that next level! The best part is, it really doesn’t take that much more effort – I promise.
Moist banana cake layers, filled with a luscious caramel and topped with cream cheese buttercream, this recipe is sure to please the crowd!
How to make Banana Cake
This banana cake comes together really easily, and uses common household ingredients! The full list of ingredients is in the recipe card at the end of the post 🙂
Preheat oven to 160 °C (320°F) with the fan on (see note 1 on the recipe card below if you don’t have a fan function) and grease and/or line two 8 inch cake tins (I use my homemade cake release).
In a bowl, sift together your flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, salt and ground cinnamon. Using a whisk or fork, mix until well combined. Set aside.
Mash your bananas well using a potato masher or fork. Set aside for now.
In a large bowl, add in your butter, vegetable oil and sugar. Using an electric mixer (hand or stand mixer are both fine – see note 2), cream together for 2 minutes until light and creamy.
Add in eggs one by one, mixing well in between each addition (about 10-15 seconds between eggs).
Next add in your mashed bananas, vanilla and Greek yoghurt. Mix on a medium speed until well combined. It may look a little curdled but that’s okay. Now set your mixer aside as the remainder of the batter will be finished by hand.
Finish off by adding in your premixed dry ingredients to your wet mixture, and gently fold it in with a spatula until combined and there are no streaks of flour remaining. Be careful not to overmix (see note 3 on recipe card below).
Distribute the batter evenly into the two 8 inch cake tins. Drop the cake tins lightly on your counter to remove any large air bubbles and bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Once baked, allow them to cool in the cake tins for about 15-20 minutes, and then turn them out onto a wire rack to completely cool before filling/topping with the caramel and cream cheese frosting.
How to make Caramel
Caramel is actually really easy to make and only requires a few ingredients!
In a small saucepan, add in the sugar and water. Mix so that the sugar is coated in the water and then place the saucepan over a medium heat. Allow the mixture to heat up and start bubbling without mixing (see note 4 on recipe card below).
Once the mixture turns a light amber colour throughout (it can take over 5 minutes for the sugar to start changing colour), turn off the heat. Immediately pour in the cream gradually while vigorously whisking the sugar with a whisk (see note 5 on recipe card below if your mixture clumps up).
Next add in your cold butter and salt, and mix until the butter is completely melted. Transfer your caramel to a heat proof bowl to allow it to cool. I like to cover my caramel with cling wrap so that the cling wrap is touching the caramel to prevent a skin from forming as it cools.
For the cream cheese frosting, check out this blog post: https://cakesbymk.com/recipe/the-best-cream-cheese-frosting/
How to decorate your banana cake
Decorating your cake is the best part (in my opinion!) and you can get creative and do it however you like, but this is how I did mine 🙂
Start off by placing your first cake layer onto your cake stand, and then spread out your caramel on top. If you don’t want your caramel to seep out the sides, then pipe a dam of frosting around the top edges of your cake and then place the caramel in the middle.
Next spread out a generous amount of your cream cheese frosting. Place your next cake layer on top and then cover the top and sides with more cream cheese frosting. I finished off with some piping on the top 🙂
And that is it! Enjoy! 🙂
Moist Banana Cake with Caramel
Print Pin VideoIMPORTANT: For accuracy, I would recommend using the gram measurements provided, as those are the exact quantities I use. Cup measurements are given as estimates (based on US cup measurements) to make it easier for those who do not have a scale.
Ingredients
Banana Cake
- 2¼ cups (280 g) flour - regular, all purpose (see note 6 if you want to use cake flour)
- ¼ cup (25 g) cornstarch - also known as cornflour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp cinnamon - ground, powdered
- 3½ large (410 g) bananas - skin removed, make sure they're ripe and soft
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter - room temperature
- ½ cup (105 g) unflavoured vegetable oil - I use canola
- 1½ cups (300 g) white granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs - room temperature
- 1½ tsps vanilla essence/extract
- ½ cup (125 g) Greek yoghurt - room temperature
Caramel
- ½ cup (100 g) white granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp water
- ¼ cup (60 g) cream - room temperature, minimum fat percentage of 34%
- 2 tbsp (28 g) unsalted butter - cold
- 1 pinch salt
Cream Cheese Frosting
Instructions
Banana Cake
- Preheat oven to 160 °C (320°F) with the fan on (see note 1 if you don't have a fan function) and grease and/or line two 8 inch cake tins (I use my homemade cake release).
- In a bowl, sift together your flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, salt and ground cinnamon. Using a whisk or fork, mix until well combined. Set aside.
- Mash your bananas well using a potato masher or fork. Set aside for now.
- In a large bowl, add in your butter, vegetable oil and sugar. Using an electric mixer (hand or stand mixer are both fine - see note 2), cream together for 2 minutes until light and creamy.
- Add in eggs one by one, mixing well in between each addition (about 10-15 seconds between eggs).
- Next add in your mashed bananas, vanilla and Greek yoghurt. Mix on a medium speed until well combined. It may look a little curdled but that's okay. Now set your mixer aside as the remainder of the batter will be finished by hand.
- Finish off by adding in your premixed dry ingredients to your wet mixture, and gently fold it in with a spatula until combined and there are no streaks of flour remaining. Be careful not to overmix (see note 3).
- Distribute the batter evenly into the two 8 inch cake tins. Drop the cake tins lightly on your counter to remove any large air bubbles and bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Once baked, allow them to cool in the cake tins for about 15-20 minutes, and then turn them out onto a wire rack to completely cool before filling/topping with the caramel and cream cheese frosting.
Caramel
- In a small saucepan, add in the sugar and water. Mix so that the sugar is coated in the water and then place the saucepan over a medium heat. Allow the mixture to heat up and start bubbling without mixing (see note 4).
- Once the mixture turns a light amber colour throughout (it can take over 5 minutes for the sugar to start changing colour), turn off the heat. Immediately pour in the cream gradually while vigorously whisking the sugar with a whisk (see note 5 if your mixture clumps up).
- Next add in your cold butter and salt, and mix until the butter is completely melted. Transfer your caramel to a heat proof bowl to allow it to cool. I like to cover my caramel with cling wrap so that the cling wrap is touching the caramel to prevent a skin from forming as it cools.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only as they are automatically calculated by a third party application. Actual values may differ based on brands and types of products used.
49 Comments
You have the best cake recipes on the Internet. No kidding. The only cake missing is a Mango cake. I would really love to see a mango cake recipe from you coz I know it will be the best. I’m from India and we have a mango farm. We get the most delicious mangoes and I make a lot of recipes with it -sweet and savoury. I tried a mango cake recipe from somewhere and it wasn’t that great. You are my last hope 🙂
Hey Miriam,
I am looking for a babyproof banana cake recipe to use for my sons first birthday.
I would like to use your cake base recipe, but would like to avoid the white sugar.
How would you recommend to adjust the recipe if I what to sweeten the cake only by bananas or other fruits (dates/raisins etc.) but still have a moist and fluffy result.
Thank you in advance for your input!!! ❤️
Hi!
I wonder is it ok to freeze this cake? Either frosted or not frosted?
Hi Ner! 🙂 I haven’t tried freezing this cake myself, but I think if wrapped well in cling wrap and placed into an airtight container before freezing, it should be fine! My only reservation would be the consistency of the frosting (if freezing with the frosting) when it thaws – it may be okay but just can’t say for sure sorry!
Hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂