Easy Banana Cake Recipe

Easy Banana Cake – this fluffy and moist sheet cake has a light mascarpone frosting on top and is ready in under 30 minutes! A perfect cake to use all those overripe bananas.

I don’t know why I end up with so many overripe bananas every week?!

I buy some because I think they’ll make a great snack and then nobody eats them. Perhaps I should stop buying bananas … but that would also mean no more delicious Banana Muffins, Banana Bread, or banana cake like this one and I think that would be very sad!

Today’s recipe is a really moist banana cake with a delicious mascarpone frosting! This cake is smooth but not dense because of the creamed butter and sugar and the silky frosting on top is not too sweet, just perfect!

Sheet cakes like this or my Lemon Sheet Cake are one of my favorite things to bake! They don’t take much time to make, 20-25 minutes in the oven and they’re done vs. 50 minutes for a bundt or loaf cake, the amount of frosting or icing on top is perfect and they are super easy to make from scratch.

Cakes like this are also perfect for parties, I decorated mine quite minimalistic with a few banana slices but you definitely can get creative. Another big plus is that you don’t need special equipment like you’d need for a fancy layered cake!

I love layered cakes but they are more time intensive than a sheet cake and you need all those special cake things like a piping bag, tips, a cake board and patience (which I don’t have most of the time). A sheet cake is much more forgiving!

This easy banana cake is made in a 9 x 13-inch baking pan (this one is my favorite because it comes with a lid) and is lighter, more delicate and in my opinion more flavorful than banana bread. Making the frosting on top with mascarpone instead of cream cheese gives it a milder not as sharp taste that goes perfectly with the banana cake.

My biggest tip when it comes to making a cake recipe is to follow the ingredients and steps that are called for. For this recipe, use overripe bananas with brown spots and cream the sugar and butter together until fluffy and light, just keep beating until the color of the mixture changes from yellowish to white.

You’ll be rewarded with the BEST banana cake!

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Easy Banana Cake Recipe with Mascarpone Frosting

Easy Banana Cake - this fluffy and moist sheet cake is has a light mascarpone frosting on top and it ready in under 30 minutes! A perfect cake to use all those overripe bananas.

Course Dessert

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 16

Calories 285 kcal

Ingredients

For the banana cake:

• 1 stick unsalted butter room temperature (115g)
• 1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
• 2 large eggs room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas 3 medium ones
• 1 cup buttermilk or 1 cup milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice (240ml)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (250g)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt

For the frosting:

• 3/4 stick unsalted butter room temperature (90g)
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar sifted (160g)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 oz cold mascarpone (113g)

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan. Set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar together at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
3. Add eggs, mashed bananas, buttermilk, and vanilla extract. Mix at low speed until combined.
4. In a small bowl combine flour, baking soda, and salt.
5. Add flour mixture in three additions to the wet mixture, mix just until combined.
6. Pour batter into the baking dish and bake for 20-25 minutes. When the cake is done a skewer inserted in the middle should come out clean with only a few crumbs attached. Let the cake cool down completely before frosting it.
7. To make the frosting, beat together butter and confectioners' sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy.
8. Add vanilla extract and mascarpone and beat until blended. Frost cooled cake.

Here are more of my favorite banana recipes:

Banana Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel

Double Chocolate Banana Muffins Recipe

Banana Bread with Maple Walnut Topping