Name: Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Ingredients: 2 ¾ c. unbleached flour; 2 ½ tsp. baking powder; ½ tsp. baking soda; 1 tsp. salt; ½ tsp. cinnamon; ½ c. butter (room temp); ½ c. oil; 1 ⅔ c. sugar; 2 c. bananas (mashed); 3 eggs (separate); 1 c. buttermilk or sour cream; 1 T. vanilla; 1/2 c. butter (room temp); 8 oz. cream cheese room temp (room temp); 3 c. confectioners sugar; 1 egg white (pasteurized); 1 T. vanilla

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Last updated on April 4th, 2025

Ingredients
Dietary Substitutions
- TO MAKE GLUTEN-FREE
- TO MAKE VEGAN/DAIRY FREE
Equipment
Storage
- How to make Cream Cheese Frosting:
Related Recipes
More vintage cakes

Old-Fashioned Banana Cake is a simple, light, and tender cake made with ripe bananas, a hint of warm spice, and topped with tangy cream cheese frosting. Inspired by a 1960’s classic, this easy banana cake recipe is simple enough to make for a weeknight dessert or dressed up on a fancy cake plate for Sunday dinner. It’s also an easy way to use up those brown bananas sitting on the counter!

My vintage inspiration.

My vintage recipe inspiration for this Old-Fashioned Banana Cake with cream cheese frosting, came from my very tattered 1965 Fannie Farmer cookbook.

How I baked it modern.

the original recipe called for butter, I used a combination of butter and oil
original recipe called for milk, I used homemade buttermilk to add tanginess
the recipe only used baking soda as leavening, I used a combination of baking soda and baking powder for extra lift
I added a hint of cinnamon to deepen the flavor

Ingredients

Flour: Use all-purpose unbleached flour with 10-12% protein, such as King Arthur or Sir Galahad Artisan Flour (its bulk-purchased name) which has 11.7% protein. Avoid bread flour, as its higher protein content (11-14%), develops more gluten, which results in dense baked goods.
Butter: Use a good quality butter such as Land O’ Lakes or Challenge brands. Another option is European butter, which is a bit more tangy as it is churned longer and produces a higher percentage of fat (82%-85%) vs. American butter which is regulated by the USDA to have a minimum of 80% fat. European butter has more flavor and less water, so it is high quality, but can be rather expensive.
Oil: Canola oil has a neutral and light flavor and is great for baked goods. Extra Light Olive Oil is another option. If your cake recipe calls for butter, you can substitute using all oil or if you still want to get flavor from butter use a combination of oil and butter together.
sugar: Sugar is derived from sugarcane and is a key ingredient in baking that provides sweetness, texture, and moisture to baked goods. The most common type being granulated white sugar. For a more natural option, use cane sugar which is less processed and has a slight golden color and hint of molasses. It does have a slightly courser texture, so be sure to incorporate a bit longer when mixing into recipes.
Buttermilk: Buttermilk adds a tangy flavor and yields tender baked goods. When purchasing buttermilk, look for simple, natural ingredients such as “cultured milk”. If you don’t have any on-hand, Its simple to make your own: Place 1 T. vinegar or lemon juice into a liquid measuring cup and add cream or whole milk until it reaches the 1 c. measure line and let it sit for a few minutes.
ClearJel: I add Instant ClearJel to almost all of my baked goods to give them a light and tender texture. If ClearJel is hard to find in your area, you can use cornstarch. To substitute: If the recipe calls for 1 T. cornstarch, use 1 1/2 T. ClearJel. If the recipe calls for 2 T. flour or tapioca, use 1 T. ClearJel. You can find it online here or in Amish or health food stores areas.
bananas: Bananas are a tropical fruit grown on banana plants. They start off green and unripened, but when baking, use bananas with brown spots which add natural sweetness and moisture. For even more flavor, you can roast whole bananas on a parchment-lined baking sheet at 350° for 10 minutes.
vanilla extract: Vanilla provides hints of caramel and spice, enhancing the depth of flavor to baked goods. Always use a high-quality, all-natural brand made from real vanilla beans containing at least 35% alcohol. MAKE YOUR OWN! Purchase Grade B vanilla beans (also called extract-grade), which have less moisture and a more concentrated flavor. Place 8 oz. of bourbon (or vodka) in glass bottle or jar. Split 5-7 vanilla beans down the middle and add to bottle. Let it sit for 3-6 months in a cool, dark place. As you use it, continue to replace the bourbon and add more beans as it keeps for many years.
cream cheese: For the best all natural taste and texture, use full fat cream cheese sold in the brick. Avoid cream cheese in the tub, which is a spread with additives. Cream cheese frosting tends to be thin, so if you plan to pipe it, add 1-2 tsp. of unflavored gelatin or cornstarch for stability.
confectioners’ sugar: Confectioners’ sugar, also known as powdered sugar, is made from finely ground granulated sugar mixed with a small amount of cornstarch to prevent clumping. Its fine texture, makes it perfect for smooth frostings and glazes on baked goods.

Baker’s Tips

Set out the eggs before you start to come to room temperature. Beat the egg whites first before mixing up the rest of the batter, since they need to be made in a clean, non-greasy bowl to help them “whip” up. Gently fold by hand into the batter to help keep the cake light.
After you pull your cake from the oven, cover the cake pan with a baking sheet and let cool for about 5 minutes. If your pan was well-greased, run a knife around the edges and turn the cake out onto a piece of parchment paper. Then wrap right away in saran wrap to seal in moisture.
Keep decorating simple and natural. Use natural ingredients that complement the flavor profile of the cake.
Combine butter to provide flavor, along with oil to yield a tender, moist baked good. If your recipe calls for only butter or only oil, you can combine them together using equal portions of each to make up the full amount of fat originally called for in the recipe. Choose an oil with a neutral, light flavor, like extra light virgin olive oil or canola oil.
Always use light-colored aluminum baking pans since they conduct heat evenly. Dark cake pans may darken or burn the edges before the inside batter is fully baked.

Dietary Substitutions

For the past 12+ years, I have owned an all-natural specialty bakery converting conventional recipes to gluten free, vegan, wholesome, etc. Read more about it here.

TO MAKE GLUTEN-FREE

Be sure to let the batter rest to help eliminate grittiness. Even letting the batter sit 15 minutes will yield a light and tender baked good. You can let batter sit in the fridge overnight, and up to 3 days.
Use a premium gluten-free flour blend.
Add 1-2 tablespoons additional buttermilk to help hydrate the flour.
Reduce the oven temperature by 25°, as gluten-free flour is delicate and could burn before the center is done.
Gluten-free baked goods dry out quickly, so put them in a sealed container right away.

TO MAKE VEGAN/DAIRY FREE

To replace the egg, place 1 tsp. of baking soda into your baked good and pour 1 T. white vinegar on top of the baking soda.
Swap out the butter with unsalted vegan butter sticks.
Replace the dairy with unsweetened oat or almond milk.

Equipment

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Storage

If Baked: Cover in air-tight container and leave on counter up to 3 days. To freeze, cover unfrosted cake layers in saran wrap and place in freezer-safe container up to 6 months. Thaw on counter in the container for 1/2 hour before opening up the container.

Unbaked Batter: Prepare batter and place in a sealed container up to 3-5 days in refrigerator.

How to make Cream Cheese Frosting:

cream cheese:

For the best all natural taste and texture, only use full fat, brick cream cheese. Variations like those labeled as “whipped” or “light” are spreads and may contain liquid, food starch and other additives. If your are going to pipe the cream cheese frosting, you can stabilize it by adding 1-2 T. of cornstarch or unflavored gelatin.

How to decorate retro cakes:

Place 3 cut rectangular strips of wax paper along the edges of your cake. This will help keep your cake plate clean for final presentation. Frost the top and the sides with a light crumb coat. Put cake in the fridge to chill for about 10-15 minutes before adding the top coat of frosting.

To frost top coat, start by scooping dollops of frosting onto the top of the cake and push down the excess top frosting down onto the sides. Use a back-and-forth motion with an off-set spatula to create large swirls. Another option is to add a pretty classic spiral pattern. To do this, for the top start on the outside edge and spin your cake plate around until you get to the center and for the sides, start at the bottom and spin the cake plate around to the top.

To keep the look classic, top with a simple garnish of whole or crushed nuts, sugared fruit, or a mini bouquet of fresh flowers.