Who else loves a good banana recipe? This Banana Snack Cake is super moist and easy to make, with a wonderful, deep banana flavor and tangy cream cheese frosting.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
File this moist, wonderful Banana Snack Cake Recipe under “things to bake” because it’s everything you want in a homemade dessert, and the it’s one of the best I’ve had. Here are a few things I absolutely love about this wonderful snack cake:
- Best part? This is an easy cake that’s tender and delicious with big flavor and a slightly chewy, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Banana recipes are very popular, and this easy recipe has a strong banana flavor throughout this cake, that you get from the first delicious bite.
- A little squeeze of lemon juice makes for an absolutely delicious cream cheese frosting
- The gorgeous caramelized nuts on top are optional, but so worth it and sort of the “secret ingredient” of this moist cake. You can easily make them yourself, or see my shortcut tip below.
- This is the perfect dessert for an afternoon snack, or to serve after a dinner of Baked Pasta with Chicken Sausage or a Shredded Chicken Burrito Bowl.
Love nostalgic desserts? Next time, try these Apple Hand Pies with Pillsbury Pie Crust!
Ingredients for this Recipe
For the full recipe and list of ingredients, please scroll to the recipe card below.
- Ripe Bananas: A full cup, mashed with a fork in a medium bowl. Overripe bananas are ideal.
- Butter: Unsalted, and slightly softened at room temperature
- Brown sugar: A full cup sugar, plus a little more
- Large Eggs, Buttermilk: To guarantee moisture
- Pure Vanilla Extract: A teaspoon vanilla extract for extra flavor
- Oatmeal: For the slightly chewy texture we’re after
- All-Purpose Flour, Baking Soda, Powder, Salt, Vanilla Extract, Cinnamon. All the essential dry ingredients for cake recipes
- Pecans, Cream Cheese, Powdered Sugar: The pecans will be toasted and caramelized, the cream cheese put in a large bowl with the sugar and whipped into a creamy, delicious frosting.
Tips to Prep the Cake Pan
- My favorite pan for this banana recipe is a 9 x 13″ sized pan for best results, lined with natural parchment paper.
Pan Prep Tip: Spray the baking pan with a little non-stick baking spray, then place a large enough piece of parchment paper inside so it hangs off the sides of the pan – this little amount of spray in the pan first helps the parchment stick, and makes it super easy to lift the cake out after its cooled. - Spray more baking spray on top of the parchment paper just before adding the cake batter to bake. At this point, be sure to heat oven to 350.
- Try using two 8″ non-stick cake pans for two-layers, and check to see if its done at 22 minutes instead of 25.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Cream the butter and both sugars in a medium sized mixing bowl, using an electric mixer
- Add the large eggs, baking soda, baking powder, salt, vanilla and buttermilk and mix to combine
- Combine flour mixture and the mashed bananas and oatmeal on medium low speed, be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl
- Pour into the prepared pan and bake in a pre-heated oven
- Cool the cake completely on a wire rack
- Frost the cake after it’s completely cool and serve!
Tips to Make Candied Nuts
Make your own candied nuts and you won’t regret it. Warning! These nuts taste fabulous on their own and are totally addicting – don’t forget to save some for the cake! 🙂
You’ll need:
- 1 tablespoon of butter
- 1 cup raw pecans or walnuts
- 1/4 cup superfine or regular sugar
- Melt the butter in a non-stick saute pan on medium heat, add the sugar and the nuts and stir gently to combine using a non-stick spatula
- Cook and gently stir, adjusting the heat lower if needed to avoid burning. The mixture should be dark and syrupy, so continue to toss to evenly coat all the nuts, about 5 minutes total.
- Don’t walk away while the nuts are cooking, this mixture will burn very easily, so you’ll need to watch it closely
- Transfer the nuts to a baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper and let them cool until ready to use.
SHORTCUT TIP: No time to make candied nuts? Buy candied nuts at the grocery store and roughly chop instead.
Serving Ideas & Variations
- This cake tastes even better the next day, so it’s great dessert choice to make a day ahead, including the frosting.
- Pro Tip: I usually frost the cake the day I’m going to use it, and stir the refrigerated frosting really well so it’s smooth.
- This cake is portable enough for potlucks, cookouts, after school snacks, casual dinners and birthday parties.
- Take extra slices to the office and your co-workers will love you 🙂
Tips for Success
- I almost always use superfine sugar for baking, called Baker’s Sugar.
- Let the parchment paper hang off the sides of your baking pan before filling it with the banana mixture. When the cake is totally cool, remove it by lifting it out with both hands to a cooling rack.
- Shortcut tip: If you don’t feel like making candied nuts, chop up some store-bought candied pecans (found in most grocery stores) instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the difference between banana bread and banana cake?
Not much! Both are technically cake, and this recipe is basically a butter cake with mashed banana.
Banana bread is considered a “quick bread” but there’s no yeast involved. Quick breads have a firmer crumb than cake, which makes them ideal for slicing. Here’s a really delicious banana bread recipe to try sometime.
How do I store this cake?
Cover it well with plastic wrap, foil or an airtight container. the store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Can I use regular brown sugar instead of dark brown sugar?
Why yes you can. The dark brown sugar gives off a little bit deeper flavor, but if you don’t have it, just use regular golden brown sugar.
Are there other ways to garnish the cake instead of nuts?
You can use sprinkles or chocolate chips for sure, these are always appropriate 🙂 You could also add fresh banana slices to the top of the cake right before serving… delicious!
More Recipes To Try:
- Sweet and Spicy Almonds: Addictive because they’re amazing 🙂
- Soft Triple Chocolate Cookies: A favorite cookie recipe!
- Decorated Chocolate Covered Strawberries: A pretty dessert.
- Ice Cream Cake with Peanut Butter Ganache: Such a pretty & tasty dessert!
- Summer Fruit Crisp: Absolutely decadent with ice cream!
- Coconut Milk Rice Pudding with Rose Rhubarb: Nostalgic and delicious!
- Strawberry Cheesecake in a Jar: One of my most popular recipes!
- Triple Chocolate Cookies: Fudgy, brownie-like wonders…
- Apple Upside Down Cake: Classic and delicious..
- Fresh Tangerine Sorbet: Tastes like a frozen tangerine!
- Peanut Butter Banana Pancakes: A great peanut flavor, these pancakes are really tender, too!
- Rice Pudding with Rhubarb: A comfort food classic.
If you’ve made Banana Snack Cake or any recipe on Studio Delicious, leave a recipe rating and tell me all about it in the comments below!
Looking for more tips and fresh, homemade recipes? Join my email list, tag and follow me on Instagram using #studiodeliciouseats, follow my boards on Pinterest, and see what I’m up to on Facebook and Twitter!
Banana Snack Cake
This Banana Snack Cake has an amazing flavor and is made from scratch, and it's easy to make!
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Servings: 12
Calories: 574kcal
Ingredients
- 1 stick Butter, unsalted, room temperature
- 1 cup Brown Sugar, firmly packed, dark brown
- ½ cup granulated Sugar
- 2 Eggs, large at room temperature
- ¾ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- ⅓ cup Buttermilk
- 1 ½ cups Flour, all-purpose
- ½ tsp Cinnamon, ground
- ¾ cup Oats, rolled, not instant
- 1 cup Bananas, ripe, mashed
- CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- 1 stick Butter, unsalted, softened
- 1 8oz Cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups Powdered Sugar
- Pinch Salt
- 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1 teaspoon Lemon Zest, freshly grated
- 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice, freshly squeezed
- Pecans, toasted, chopped for dusting on the frosted cake (about 1/3 cup)
- CANDIED PECANS
- 1 tablespoon Butter, unsalted
- 1 cup Pecans, raw Or walnuts
- ¼ cup Sugar
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degreesPrepare a 13 x 9" pan with baking spray, line with natural parchment paper, then spray with more baking spray just before adding the cake batter. Cream the butter and both sugars in a large bowl using an electric hand held mixer for 4 minutes until fluffy. Alternatively, use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Add the eggs one at a time, blending each time just until incorporatedIn a small side bowl, dissolve the baking soda, baking powder, salt and vanilla into the buttermilk and stir to combine. Add this to the egg/butter/sugar mixture. Add the flour a 1/2 cup at a time, and stir gently just to combine. Add the cinnamon too, and stir to combine. In a separate medium-sized bowl, combine the oats with the mashed bananas together, and beat on low with the electric hand mixer until combined, about 30 seconds. Add the oats and mashed bananas to the cake mixture and mix on low for another 30 seconds just to combine all the ingredients. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the top is golden brown and a toothpick in center comes out clean, about 25 minutes
- CREAM CHEESE FROSTINGIn a medium sized bowl with electric hand mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese until very smooth, about 3 minutes on high. Scrape down the sides occasionally with a rubber spatula. Sift the confectioners sugar into the bowl, continue mixing for another 3 minutes or so until smooth. Add the lemon zest and juice and vanilla extract, beat for another minute or so until completely smooth.Chill the frosting in fridge until cake is completely coolFrost the cake and serveTop with Candied Nuts if desired – see recipe notes
- FOR THE CANDIED PECANS Melt the butter in a non-stick saute pan on medium heatAdd the sugar and stir gently to combine and it starts to melt a little Add the nuts and stir to combine, adjusting the heat lower if needed to avoid burning. The mixture should be dark and syrupy, so continue to gently toss to evenly coat all the nuts, about 5 minutes total. Don't walk away while the nuts are cooking, this mixture will burn very easily, so you'll need to watch it closelyTransfer the nuts to a baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper and let them cool until ready to use.
Notes
- This recipe can also be made in two 8″ cake pans or an 8 x 13″ square pan
- You can find superfine sugar in most grocery stores, it’s in a milk carton container called “Bakers Sugar”
- Let the parchment paper hang off the sides of your baking pan before filling it with the batter. When the cake is totally cool, remove by lifting it right out with both hands.
- Use raw walnuts instead of pecans if you’d like.
- If you don’t feel like making the caramelized nuts, you can buy candied nuts at the grocery store and chop them for similar delicious results.
Nutrition
Calories: 574kcal | Carbohydrates: 71g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 94mg | Sodium: 416mg | Potassium: 215mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 53g | Vitamin A: 849IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 2mg
Tips for Success with Every Recipe
- Super important to read the whole recipe before you begin
- Pay attention to the ingredient list and photos for the recipe
- If possible, prep your ingredients a little before you start
- Always use a sharp knife for safety
- Use the size of pan called for in the recipe
- For savory recipes, taste and season as you go
- Buy fresh, organic ingredients, locally sourced whenever possible
Did you make this recipe?Show me! Tag @studiodelicious or use the hashtag #studiodeliciouseats!
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Source: Studio Delicious, adapted from Sweet Home
This recipe was updated with new tips and content in February, 2021
That looks so tasty., I can’t wait to try it! I love the humor in your post and I’m looking forward to more!
I wasn’t sure what I was going to click into when I saw Fresh Banana Cake recipe, but I sure didn’t expect something that looks so lovely! I love the candied nuts…crunch and sweetness. Win!
Oh great! Hope you like it 🙂
This looks super delicious and tasty. Banana is one of my favorite fruit too.
MIne too, thanks!
Banana is my favorite fruit and this cake looks moist and delicious and healthy too. Love the frosting over it making it delicious and perfect.
Thank you 🙂
Banana cake? oh wow! simply wow! I cannot describe how much I and my daughter are drooling over your cake images right now. Awesome recipe.
Oh great! Hope you like it 🙂
My son’s favourite cake, love the topping you have used!
Great!
The banana and cream cheese frosting are the perfect combination! Delicious dessert here!
It’s a keeper!
Soft and moist banana bread, I LOVE making this cake for when craving something sweet!
Great to hear:)
This banana cake is amazing! I just love the cream cheese frosting with it, and it’s so incredibly moist. Definitely making this one again!
Great news!
Oh yum, this banana cake sounds so delicious. So buttery and sweet and perfect. I bet my family will love this. I can’t wait to give it a try.
Hope you like it!
Your writing style is so fun! Made is interesting to read. The banana cake has many great ingredients, but my favorite was you used oatmeal. Never tried that before.
Oh thank you so much!
Made it for the family and it was a hit!
Excellent!
All your in process shots make following the recipe so easy! Love how you shot just the ingredients too and sounds like a delicious banana cake :)!
Thanks!
I saw this Fresh Banana cake this morning and it was calling my name. This is melt in your mouth good !! The cake is tender and moist then topped with cream cheese icing..yum. The crowning glory is he candied pecans ..so good. Perfect with my Sunday afternoon coffee. Fabulous recipe!!
Great, thanks!
Banana cake is one of my all time favorites! Definitely a perfect cake for any occasion!
It’s so good!
Wow. You have made this with fresh banana. I can imagine the lovely flavor the cake has. On my list now.
You’ll love it!
The cake looks so moist, I bet it’s delicious, love the candied walnuts too!
Yep, it’s all that..thanks!
My family and I loved banana bread a lot, tried making this for them and it was a hit. Thank you so much for sharing, I make my family happy because of this.
You bet, thank you !
What an AWESOME cake! So moist, flavorful, and the texture of the cake with the crunchy candied nuts is just so good! I love the lemon spiked cream cheese frosting … it reminds me of cheesecake, and really brings everything together. Definitely a new favorite cake! Thank you!
Great, thanks for commenting!
This cake looks so wonderfully tender! And I bet it’s super flavorful, too. I love the addition of oats!
Thank you!
I love everything about this beautiful cake. The ingredients are simple and it’s perfect for a summer pot luck!
Great!
This looked so luscious, I had to make it. Totally 5 stars – moist, decadent and that frosting is a must make! Really yummy, thanks for a wonderful recipe!
Oh good! Glad you enjoyed it!
This banana cake was a hit this weekend! Delicious, super easy to do and super hard to stop eating!
Great!
Banana cake is my all time favorite. I will have to try your version soon. Look so pretty and delicious
Thank you..enjoy 🙂
I have been craving for banana cake since a while and found my kind of a recipe. Totally making this one.
Oh good!
I think because it has bananas in it we can eat it for breakfast, no? I love this cake, so moist and simple and the cream cheese frosting and topped with those candied nuts, incredible!
Haha! Thanks
My whole family loved this fresh banana cake. It was so simple to throw together and the cream cheese frosting was the perfect touch. What really made this special is the candied pecans, so good.
Great, thanks!
This banana cake looks so mouthwateringly delicious! Love the addition of the candied nuts as a topping, perfect!
It’s good, hope you like it!
This banana bread looks so satisfying! I love that thick layer of cream cheese frosting with the candied pecan on top. I can’t wait to make it this week.
Hope you like it!
Such a simple yet delicious looking cake. It’s one of those cakes you make for weekend and enjoy a slice with your afternoon coffee. I will definitely make this for my family.
Thats exactly right! Enjoy!
Banana is my favorite and this cake is so light and fluffy!
Great! Thanks