Banana Cake Recipe (Made with Cake Mix!)

Banana Cake Recipe (Made with Cake Mix!)

Course: Cake, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 40

Cool Time: 2

Total Time: 3

Servings: slices

Calories: 210kcal

Author: Becky Hardin

This easy banana cake is made with boxed cake mix and mashed bananas right in the batter, then topped with cream cheese frosting. It's moist, fruity, and truly simple!

Print Recipe

US Customary - Metric

Equipment

9x13 Baking Pan
Hand Mixer

Ingredients

For the Cake:

15.25 ounces vanilla cake mix (1 box)*
½ cup vegetable oil **
2 large eggs room temperature
1 cup mashed bananas (from about 3-4 whole bananas)***
⅓ cup buttermilk room temperature
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon optional, but recommended

For the Frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese room temperature (1 brick)
¼ cup unsalted butter melted (½ stick)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
2½ cups powdered sugar

Optional Toppings:

Chopped walnuts
Banana slices

Instructions

Make the Cake:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan and set aside.
Add the oil, eggs, mashed bananas, and buttermilk to a bowl and whisk to combine.
2 large eggs, 1 cup mashed bananas, ⅓ cup buttermilk, ½ cup vegetable oil
Stir in the cake mix and cinnamon until well combined.
15.25 ounces vanilla cake mix, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Let the cake cool completely before frosting.

Make the Frosting:

Using a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and salt together.
8 ounces cream cheese, ¼ cup unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
Beat in the powdered sugar, little by little, until incorporated.
2½ cups powdered sugar

Assemble:

Spread the frosting over the cake.
Top with chopped walnuts and banana slices if desired.
Chopped walnuts, Banana slices

Notes

*You can also use a yellow cake mix, white cake mix, spice cake mix, or banana cake mix if you prefer.

**I like vegetable oil for its neutral taste, but avocado, canola, or melted coconut oil will also work.

***Over-ripe bananas are ideal for baking. The peel should be brown and spotty. This means they'll be soft enough to mash/mix, and deliciously sweet!

Becky's Top Tips:

For best results, use room temperature dairy ingredients.
Banana cake may turn out gummy if it is underbaked or if the batter is too wet. You want the batter to be thick but pourable, just like any normal cake batter. If your batter is too runny, you may need to add extra flour to thicken it up.
Be sure to bake the cake until it passes the toothpick test to avoid an underbaked cake, which could collapse and turn gummy in the middle.
If you notice black specks in your banana cake, there's no need to be alarmed! They are banana seeds and are perfectly safe to eat!
This cake can also be baked in two 9-inch round cake pans for 25-30 minutes, or as cupcakes for about 15 minutes.
Nutritional information does not include optional toppings.

Storage: Store banana cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Nutrition