If you’re looking for the BEST BANANA CAKE EVER, this is your cake. Slathered with a thick layer of cream cheese icing, this banana cake is moist and delicious every time. It’s a great way to use up frozen or over-ripe bananas and quite simply, it’s the only banana cake recipe you’ll ever need.
I know what you’re thinking. How crazy can a banana cake with cream cheese icing be?
Well, first of all, this banana cake is crazy-good, but that’s not the reason for the name of the recipe. The reason I call this the crazy banana cake is because of the unusual baking and cooling methods that the recipe calls for.
Don’t worry.
They’re not difficult. They’re just… well… kind of crazy!
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What makes this banana cake crazy?
I honestly forget where I got this recipe. I’ve been making it for years. It’s a crazy little recipe, so I’ll clarify a couple of things right off the top.
First of all, this cake is baked at an unusually low temperature: 275ºF.
The second crazy thing about this recipe is the cooling method:
From Oven to Freezer
This banana cake goes straight from the oven into the freezer. This is the secret to the cake’s moistness. For this reason, you’ll need to bake this cake in a pan that can withstand the quick change in temperature. I use my 9 x 13 Pyrex baking dish.
I don’t cover the cake when I put it in the freezer. I just place it in the freezer with a towel folded underneath it to prevent the heat from transferring into other items in my freezer.
Want to make this cake a little more nutritious? You can substitute half of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour.
You’ll also love our Crazy-Good Carrot Cake recipe, our No-Bake Blueberry Cheesecake and our Egg-Free, Dairy-Free Chocolate Depression Cake.
Crazy Banana Cake Ingredients:
- very ripe bananas (3 fresh bananas or 4 thawed, previously frozen bananas)
- lemon juice
- all-purpose flour
- baking soda
- tsp salt
- soft butter
- white sugar
- eggs
- vanilla
- buttermilk (to make your own, see below)
How to Make Buttermilk:
To make buttermilk from regular milk, add 1 tbsp of vinegar or lemon juice to a measuring cup and fill to the required mark with milk (for this recipe it would be the 1.5 cup mark).
For something a little less decadent, try my bread machine banana chocolate chip loaf or my easy banana chocolate chip bundt cake.
How to Make My Crazy Banana Cake With Cream Cheese Icing:
1. Pre-heat oven to 275º F, and grease and flour (or spray) a 9×13 cake pan.
2. Mash bananas, and mix with the lemon juice. Set aside.
3. In a med bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
4. For homemade buttermilk, combine milk and vinegar/lemon juice in a small bowl. Set aside.
5. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with electric beaters.
6. Beat in eggs, one at a time.
7. Stir in vanilla.
8. Beat in flour mixture alternately with buttermilk.
9. Stir in bananas.
10. Pour batter into your cake pan.
Bake at 275º F for 1 hour and 10 mins (or until knife comes out clean).
Note: Ovens may vary. If your cake does not pass the toothpick test at the 70 minute mark, bake it longer, checking every 10 minutes until it’s done.
Now, for the crazy part:
Take the cake out of the oven and place it in the freezer for 45 minutes. You don’t need to cover the cake, but you’ll want to place it on a thick, folded towel to protect items underneath.
Remove after 45 minutes let it sit on the counter until it’s cool enough to frost.
Cream Cheese Icing Recipe Ingredients:
- softened butter
- brick of cream cheese, room temp
- vanilla
- icing sugar (also known as powdered sugar or confectioner’s sugar)
How to Make Cream Cheese Icing
- Cream the butter and cream cheese.
- Beat in vanilla and icing sugar on low speed until combined, then high until smooth.
This recipe makes a lot of cream cheese icing. You can halve the recipe if you’d like. I personally love cream cheese more than life itself, so the thick layer of frosting makes me a very happy hooligan indeed.
Slather that icing all over your crazy banana cake, and enjoy! Pour yourself an ice cold glass of milk, and enjoy!
Crazy Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Icing
One bite of this increcibly moist banana cake with cream cheese icing will have them begging for more. The way you bake and cool it is kind of crazy, but that’s the secret to this cake’s success.
Servings: 20
Calories: 405kcal
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1.5 cups very ripe bananas (3 fresh bananas or 4 thawed, previously frozen bananas)
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1.5 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup soft butter
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1.5 cups buttermilk OR milk soured with one tbsp vinegar or lemon juice
For the Frosting
- 1/2 cup softened butter
- 8 oz cream cheese room temp.
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3.5 cups icing sugar also known as powdered sugar or confectioner’s sugar
Instructions
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Pre-heat oven to 275 F, and grease and flour (or spray), a 9×13 cake pan.
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Mash banana and mix with lemon juice and set aside.
-
In a med bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
-
If you’re making your own buttermilk, combine milk and vinegar (or lemon juice) in a small bowl, and set aside.
-
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar.
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Beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir in vanilla.
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Beat in flour mixture alternately with buttermilk.
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Stir in bananas.
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Pour into cake pan and bake 1 hour and 10 mins (or until knife comes out clean). *if need be, cook longer, checking every 10 minutes until cake is fully cooked.
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Immediately place in freezer for 45 minutes. (if not completely cool upon removal from freezer, let cool further before icing).
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Cream butter and cream cheese.
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Beat in vanilla and icing sugar on low until combined, then high until smooth.
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Frost cake and enjoy!
Nutrition
Calories: 405kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 69mg | Sodium: 290mg | Potassium: 131mg | Sugar: 43g | Vitamin A: 585IU | Vitamin C: 1.7mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 1.1mg
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Jackie is a mom, wife, home daycare provider, and the creative spirit behind Happy Hooligans. She specializes in kids’ crafts and activities, easy recipes, and parenting. She began blogging in 2011, and today, Happy Hooligans inspires more than 2 million parents, caregivers and Early Years Professionals all over the globe.
