This super moist Banana Cream Cake has banana pudding filling, a little bit of cinnamon, and homemade cream cheese frosting is a banana lover's dream! If you like bananas or banana bread, you are going to love this cake!
I decided to make a Banana Cream Cake because my 4-year-old was asking for it. He had banana cake with cream cheese frosting a few weeks ago and somehow remembered it and decided that was the treat he wanted.
This recipe is inspired by the Banana Cake Recipe from my trusty Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. I made a few changes and added a banana pudding filling and cream cheese frosting.
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Why I You'll Love This Recipe
This Banana Cream Cake with banana pudding and cream cheese frosting offers a heavenly combination of flavors and textures, just like my Naked Marionberry Cake. The moist and tender banana cake layers paired with the luscious banana pudding filling create a delightful burst of banana goodness in every bite.
The rich and tangy cream cheese frosting adds a perfect balance, elevating the cake to a truly indulgent dessert experience that banana lovers would absolutely adore. And if you are looking for more banana recipes, check out my Banana Oatmeal Cookies and my Banana Bread with Coconut Milk.
Key Ingredients For This Recipe
- Ripe Bananas: Ripe bananas are the star of this cake. The more brown the better because they will be sweet and the banana flavor is enhanced.
- Vegetables Shortening: Vegetable shortening helps make this cake ultra moist and fluffy. If you don't have vegetable shortening or don't want to use it, you can substitute unsalted butter.
- Cinnamon: Cinnamon is going to enhance all of the flavors in this cake and give it a little something extra. Don't skip the cinnamon, it makes a big difference.
- Banana Pudding Mix: You could make your own banana pudding, but let's be honest, the boxed mix is so good and easy to make. You will have some leftovers for easy snaking later.
*See the recipe card for the complete list of ingredients and quantities.
Buttermilk Substitution
Okay, so a lot of Banana Cake recipes out there call for buttermilk. I LOVE to bake, but I'm gonna be honest, I NEVER have buttermilk on hand.
The good news is, you can easily make sour milk and use it instead and no one will ever know. In fact, when I made this cake last that's exactly what I did. Remember 1 cup milk + 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice. Stir, rest, and use!
Ripe Bananas Are The Key To This Recipe
Most people know to save ripe bananas for banana bread, but there are so many other uses for them as well! When you have a ripe banana, just throw it in the freezer and you will always have a few on hand for future use.
When you are ready to use them, allow them to unfreeze on the counter or zap them on defrost in the microwave for a few seconds and you are in business. Here are a few things you can make with ripe bananas:
- Banana Cake
- Banana Bread
- Frozen Banana "Ice Cream"
- Ripe bananas can be an egg or oil substitute when baking
How to Make a Moist Banana Cream Cake
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350° and prepare your cake pans. I used my 6" cake pans that are 2" deep to make 3 layers.
Step 2: In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients. Add bananas, buttermilk, shortening, and vanilla, then beat with a hand mixer. Add eggs and mix for 2 more minutes.
Step 3: Pour the cake batter into the cake pans and tap on the counter to remove air bubbles.
Step 4: Place the pan(s) in the oven and bake for 25-35 minutes.
Step 5: Make banana pudding according to the directions on the box and chill it in the fridge.
Step 6: To make the frosting, beat cream cheese and shortening until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add salt, vanilla, and then the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, until smooth. Chill until ready to use.
How to Assemble a Banana Layer Cake
Step 1: Once the cakes have fully cooled, cut the top off with a serrated knife to create a level top. Place one cake layer on a cake stand or plate.
Step 2: Put about half of the banana pudding in the middle of the cake and spread it out with a spatula leaving about ½ inch around the edge. Add the next cake layer and repeat the pudding layer.
Step 3: Place the last layer on the top, bottom side up, so you have a nice flat top to work with. At this point, you want to frost a crumb coat on the cake.
Step 4: To create a crumb coat, place a thin layer of frosting all over the entire cake and then place it in the freezer for 10 minutes. This will help eliminate crumbs in the final frosting layer.
Step 5: Remove the cake from the freezer and fully frost it with the remaining frosting.
Step 6: You can also pipe on decoration as desired or garnish with fresh banana slices or chopped nuts. Leave the cake in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Easy & Pipeable Cream Cheese Frosting
The homemade cream cheese frosting for this recipe is the perfect complement to the sweet banana flavor of the cake. I used vegetable shortening instead of butter when making my cake because I wanted the frosting to be pipeable and a little stiffer.
If you don't have vegetable shortening or want to use butter, it will work just as well. Just remember to keep the frosting nice and cold until you are ready to frost your cake!
Expert Tips For This Recipe
- This is a one-bowl recipe! That means you can just add all of the ingredients to one bowl for the cake, how great is that?
- I used my hand mixer for all of the steps, but of course, you can also use your stand mixer, or if you want to burn some calories, use a hand whisk. 💪🏻
- When baking, it's usually best to have your ingredients at room temperature, in this case, the eggs and buttermilk. While I recommend this, you can also just get to it and still have an amazing cake.
- Cream cheese frosting is one of the best things ever but it can be tricky if it's warm outside or in your home. The freezer and fridge are your friends when frosting this cake and storing it.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can store any remaining Banana Cream Cake in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days. Allow the cake to come to room temperature before serving.
Of course, if you're not a fan of cream cheese frosting, you can use vanilla buttercream or whipped cream frosting as alternatives.
You can bake the cake layers in advance, let them cool completely, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap, and store them in the freezer for up to 2-3 months. Thaw the frozen layers at room temperature before assembling the cake.
Yes, you can add chopped nuts, such as walnuts or pecans, to the cake batter for added texture and flavor. You can also incorporate other mix-ins like chocolate chips or shredded coconut if desired.
Yes, you can make an eggless version of the Banana Cream Cake by using egg substitutes like applesauce, mashed bananas, or commercial egg replacers. The texture might differ slightly, but it should still be delicious.
Yes, you can make the Banana Cream Cake gluten-free using a gluten-free flour blend instead of regular all-purpose flour. Be sure to check that all your other ingredients are also gluten-free.
If you get a chance to make this Banana Cream Cake, tag me on Instagram or Facebook and show me, or leave a review below! You can also follow me on Pinterest and sign up for my e-mail list to receive more fun and delicious recipes right in your inbox.
Banana Cream Cake
Equipment
- 6" cake pan(s)
- frosting knife
Ingredients
Banana Cake
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups sugar
- 1½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 ripe bananas
- ¾ cup buttermilk (or ¾ cup milk with ¾ tablespoon vinegar/lemon juice added)
- ½ cup vegetable shortening (you can sub butter, see notes)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
Banana Pudding Filling
- ½ cup banana pudding mix
- ¾ cup cold milk
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 8 ounces package cream cheese, room temp
- ½ cup vegetable shortening
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3-4 cups confectioners powdered sugar
Instructions
Banana Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare your cake pans with shortening, flour and/or parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl place the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and stir together until well mixed. Add the bananas, buttermilk, shortening and vanilla and mix with a hand mixer on medium speed until everything is combined. Add the eggs and continue to beat for 2 minutes.
- Pour the cake batter into the cake pans and tap on the counter to remove air bubbles. Place the pan(s) in the oven and bake for 35 minutes. Test the cake with a toothpick at 25 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean. My pans took 35 minutes to fully cook because they are a deep cake pan.
- Once done, remove the cake pan from the oven and allow it to cool on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan and continue cooling on the rack until fully cool.
Banana Pudding
- While the cake is baking, add the banana pudding mix and cold milk into a bowl and mix with a hand mixer for 2 minutes on medium speed. Place in refrigerator until ready to use. Most instant puddings only take about 5 minutes to set but you want to keep the pudding cold until you are ready to use it.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Add the cream cheese and shortening to a mixing bowl and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the salt and vanilla and beat together for another minute. Add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, until desired sweetness and consistency is achieved. Place the frosting in the refrigerator until ready to frost the cake.
Cake Assembly and Frosting
- Once the cakes have fully cooled, cut the top off with a serrated knife to create a level top.
- Place one cake layer on a cake stand or plate. Place about half of the banana pudding in the middle of the cake and spread it out with a spatula leaving about ½ inch around the edge.
- Add the next cake layer and repeat the pudding layer. Place the last layer on the top, bottom side up, so you have a nice flat top to work with.
- At this point, you want to frost a crumb coat on the cake. To create a crumb coat, place a thin layer of frosting all over the entire cake and then place it in the freezer for 10 minutes. This will help eliminate crumbs in the final frosting layer.
- Remove the cake from the freezer and fully frost it with the remaining frosting. You can also pipe on decoration as desired or garnish with fresh banana slices or chopped nuts. Leave the cake in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Notes
-
- This frosting needs to be cold in order for the frosting to go on well and I would recommend keeping the cake cold until ready to serve.
- I used a 6" cake pan and made 3 layers with the amount of batter that is made with this recipe.
- If you are going to substitute butter for the shortening in the frosting, make sure it is room temp when mixing with the room temp cream cheese so that they cream together nicely. After achieving the consistency and sweetness you want, place the frosting in the fridge so it has a chance to firm up before frosting the cake.
- This is a one-bowl recipe! That means you can just add all of the ingredients to one bowl for the cake, how great is that
- I used my hand mixer for all of the steps, but of course, you can also use your stand mixer, or if you want to burn some calories, use a hand whisk.
-
- When baking, it's usually best to have your ingredients at room temperature, in this case, the eggs and buttermilk. While I recommend this, you can also just get to it and still have an amazing cake.
-
- Cream cheese frosting is one of the best things ever but it can be tricky if it's warm outside or in your home. The freezer and fridge are your friends when frosting this cake and storing it.
Nutrition
Any nutrition calculations are only estimates using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
Marie Porter says
Banana cake is amazing, and cream cheese frosting is perfect for it! Yum!
Emily says
Thanks, Marie! I couldn’t agree more!
kerri says
i'm not typically a banana girl, but my husband asked me to make this and i love it! the flavor is incredible! it was a huge hit!
Emily says
Thanks, Kerri! When I think of cake, banana is not the first thing that comes to mind, but this cake has changed the way I think!
Debra says
Looks beautiful and sounds delish! Perfect celebration cake.
Emily says
Thanks, Debrah! I agree,this cake would be great for a celebration.
Mama Maggie's Kitchen says
This Banana cake is making me drool right now!
Swathi says
This banana cake looks delicous my favorite I will try your recipe this weekend.
Emily says
Thank you, and I hope you and your family love it!!
Emily Woodward says
The banana pudding filling is amazing!
Amy says
This looks amazing! I do love a good banana cake I must say!
Emily says
Amy, thank you! Banana cake has now become a favorite of mine as well.
Alexandra says
Such a spectacular cake and so delicious - love the filling!
Emily says
Thanks, Alexandra, I'm so glad you liked it.
Jaime says
Love the addition of banana pudding in this cake as the filling!!
Emily says
It makes this banana cake EXTRA banana-y!