Easy Banana Spice Cake Recipe

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This easy banana spice cake is bursting with delicious, cinnamony, banana flavor and it’s topped with a scrumptious buttery cream cheese frosting.

I wanted to do some banana baking, so immediately I thought I’d do a banana spice bread. But, that changed when I ran across this old fashioned banana spice cake recipe in my Treasures From Heaven Cookbook.  I gave it a quick bake, and folks this spiced banana cake blew away my expectations and my taste buds with its unbelievably delicious flavor.

This banana spice cake was such an easy bake and, in my opinion, much more flavorful than a banana spice cake with box mix.  The magical trio of bananas, nutmeg and cinnamon came together like a delicious nineties boy band of flavors.  This cake was a hit with my taste buds and my family’s and I know it will be with yours also.

Easy Spice Cake With Bananas Recipe

How To Make Banana Cake Video

Why You’ll Love Easy Banana Spice Cake

  • Made in a 9×13 pan with simple ingredients, it’s so easy to put together.
  • The banana spice flavor pairs yummyly with the buttery, cream cheese frosting.
  • It’s a tender and moist banana cake.
  • Serve banana spice cake all day.  It’s perfect for breakfast, brunch, snacking and dessert.
  • Though this banana cake has some fall vibes, you can serve it all year long.
Easy Recipe For Spice Cake With Bananas

Spiced Banana Cake With Frosting Ingredients

Ingredients In Banana Spice Cake

  • 2½ cups cake flour (you can use AP) sifted
  • 1¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 
  • ¾ teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1â…” cups sugar
  • â…” cup shortening
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1¼ cups mashed bananas (around 3 large bananas)
  • â…” cup buttermilk
  • ¾ cup toasted nuts optional

Ingredients In Frosting

  • ½ cup butter – room temperature
  • 2 to 4 ounces cream cheese  – softened
  • 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 cups powdered sugar – sifted
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons milk – room temperature
Old Fashioned Banana Spice Cake Recipe

How To Make Banana Spice Cake With Frosting

How To Make Banana Spice Cake

  • Preheat oven to 350℉
  • Grease and flour 9×13 baking dish or spray with baking spray.
  • Sift flour and other dry ingredients into large mixing bowl and set aside.
  • Mash your bananas in a small mixing bowl and set aside.
  • Using a stand or hand held mixer, cream sugar and shortening. Scrape down the sides of your bowl.
  • Add eggs one at a time and beat each until yellow just disappears.
  • Add vanilla extract and mix. Scrape down the sides of your bowl.
  • Beat in mashed bananas and scrape down the sides of your bowl
  • Add flour mixture alternately with your buttermilk. Begin and end with the flour mixture. Mix each addition just until incorporated. Do not overmix.
  • Fold in toasted nuts with a spatula.
  • Turn batter into the prepared 9×13 baking dish and bake at 350° for 30 to 40 minutes
  • Baking times vary, so keep an eye on your cake. Insert a toothpick in the center of the cake to check for doneness. If it comes out clean it’s done.
  • Cool for 20 minutes or until it’s cool enough to frost.
  • Frost with buttery cream cheese frosting.

How To Make The Frosting

  • Cream butter and cream cheese until smooth and fluffy.
  • Gradually beat in powdered sugar until fully incorporated.
  • Beat in vanilla extract.
  • If frosting is to thick add a tablespoon or 2 of milk.
  • Frost Cake
Recipe For Easy Spicy Banana Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

Tools Used In Spice Banana Cake

The Best Banana Cake Recipe With Frosting

Tips For The Best Spicy Banana Cake

  • Use Ripe Bananas – Ripe bananas create a sweeter and more flavorful banana cake.
  • Don’t Overmix – Overmixing, after the addition of flour, can make this banana cake, or any cake, chewy and rubbery.
  • Don’t Overbake – Overbaking a cake can cause the cake to become dry and crumbly.  Start checking your banana spice cake at the 30 minute mark.
  • Cool Cake Completely Before Frosting – This prevents the frosting from melting on the warm cake.
  • Substitute For Buttermilk – If you don’t have buttermilk, you can substitute regular milk.  Add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup.  Then add regular milk to the same measuring cup until it reaches 1 cup. Stir and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes.
Easy Banana Spice Cake With Buttery Cream Cheese Frosting

Banana Spice Cake FAQ

How Ripe Should Bananas Be

Very ripe!  The riper the better.  Use bananas whose peel is mostly brown or black.  These bananas are sweet and soft and will add flavor and moisture to your banana cake.

How To Ripen Bananas Fast

Preheat oven to 350F.  Place unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet and bake until the peels are completely black and the banana is soft (15 to 30 minutes).

Can You Use Frozen Bananas

Yes, make sure the bananas are thawed and drain before mashing.

How To Store Banana Spice Cake

Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 4 – 5 days.  The frosting contains cream cheese and butter, so it needs to be refrigerated.

Can You Freeze Banana Spice Cake

Wrap the banana cake in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag or place in a freezer safe container.  Freeze up to 3 months.

Easy Recipe For Banana Spice Cake With Nuts

Spiced Banana Cake – A Must Try

This easy moist banana spice cake is simply an old fashioned spice cake with bananas.  The bananas, spices and buttery tangy cream cheese frosting are a match made in dessert heaven.  Banana spice cake is an easy bake and is perfect anytime of day and anytime of year.  So next time your sweet tooth starts calling, try whipping up this spicy banana cake recipe.  Your taste buds will love you for it.

I would love your comments on this moist, easy banana spice cake.  Please feel free to reach out via the comment section or the contact page with any questions or comments on this banana spice cake recipe.

I have linked more delicious easy cake recipes below and I’m sure you will love them. 

Deliciously Easy Cake Recipes

    Banana Spice Cake
    Print Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe

    Banana Spice Cake With Buttercream Frosting

    Old fashioned banana cake made with the warm fall spices of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
    Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert, Snack
    Cuisine American
    Keyword banana cake, spice cake, buttercream frosting, easy cake, 9×13 pan
    Prep Time 30 minutes
    Cook Time 30 minutes
    Cooling Time 20 minutes
    Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
    Servings 18 squares
    Calories 330kcal
    Cost $3

    Ingredients

    Banana Spice Cake Ingredients

    • 2½ cups cake flour (you can use AP) sifted
    • 1¼ tsp baking powder
    • ¼ tsp baking soda
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 2 tsp cinnamon
    • ¾ tsp nutmeg
    • 1â…” cups sugar
    • â…” cup shortening
    • 2 eggs
    • 2 tsp vanilla extract
    • 1¼ cups mashed bananas 3 large bananas
    • â…” cup buttermilk
    • ¾ cup toasted nuts optional

    Buttery Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients

    • ½ cup butter room temperature
    • 2 to 4 ounces cream cheese softened
    • 1½ tsp vanilla
    • 2 cups powdered sugar sifted
    • 1 to 2 Tbsp milk room temperature

    Instructions

    Banana Spice Cake Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350℉
    • Grease and flour 9×13 baking dish or spray with baking spray.
    • Sift flour and other dry ingredients into large mixing bowl and set aside
      2½ cups cake flour (you can use AP), 1¼ tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt, 2 tsp cinnamon, ¾ tsp nutmeg, ¼ tsp baking soda
    • Mash your bananas in a small mixing bowl and set aside.
      1¼ cups mashed bananas
    • Using a stand or hand held mixer, cream sugar and shortening. Scrape down the sides of your bowl.
      1â…” cups sugar, â…” cup shortening
    • Add eggs one at a time and beat each until yellow just disappears.
      2 eggs
    • Add vanilla extract and mix. Scrape down the sides of your bowl.
      2 tsp vanilla extract
    • Beat in mashed bananas and scrape down the sides of your bowl
    • Add flour mixture alternately with your buttermilk. Begin and end with the flour mixture. Mix each addition just until incorporated. Do not overmix.
      â…” cup buttermilk
    • Fold in toasted nuts with a spatula.
      ¾ cup toasted nuts
    • Turn batter into the prepared 9×13 baking dish and bake at 350° for 30 to 40 minutes
    • Baking times vary, so keep an eye on your cake. Insert a toothpick in the center of the cake to check for doneness. If it comes out clean it's done.
    • Cool for 20 minutes or until it's cool enough to frost.
    • Frost with buttercream frosting.

    Buttery Cream Cheese Frosting Instructions

    • Cream butter and cream cheese until smooth and fluffy.
      ½ cup butter, 2 to 4 ounces cream cheese
    • Gradually beat in powdered sugar until fully incorporated.
      2 cups powdered sugar
    • Beat in vanilla extract.
      1½ tsp vanilla
    • If frosting is to thick add a tablespoon or 2 of milk.
      1 to 2 Tbsp milk
    • Frost Cake

    Video

    Notes

    Use Ripe Bananas – Ripe bananas create a sweeter and more flavorful banana cake.
    Don’t Overmix – Overmixing, after the addition of flour, can make this banana cake or any cake chewy and rubbery.
    Don’t Overbake – Overbaking a cake can cause the cake to become dry and crumbly.  Start checking your banana spice cake at the 30 minute mark.
    Cool Cake Completely Before Frosting – This prevents the frosting from melting on the warm cake.
    Substitute For Buttermilk – If you don’t have buttermilk, you can substitute regular milk.  Add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup.  Then add regular milk to the same measuring cup until it reaches 1 cup. Stir and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes.
    Bananas should be very ripe!  The riper the better.  Use bananas whose peel is mostly brown or black.  These bananas are sweet and soft and will add flavor and moisture to your banana cake.
    To Ripen Bananas Fast – Preheat oven to 350F.  Place unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet and bake until the peels are completely black and the banana is soft (15 to 30 minutes).
    You can use frozen bananas.  Make sure the bananas are thawed and drain before mashing.
    Store Banana Spice Cake in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 4 – 5 days.  The frosting contains cream cheese and butter, so it needs to be refrigerated.
    To Freeze Banana Spice Cake – wrap the banana cake in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag or place in a freezer safe container.  Freeze up to 3 months.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 330kcal

    5 Comments

    1. Lynnette Cheatom says:

      Hi Liz, I am planning to make this as a Snack Cake soon. I have a question can I substitute Allspice in place of the cloves. I do not care for cloves. I will rate once I make the cake it looks so good. Can’t wait. Thanks, Lynnette

      1. I think that would work. Please let me know if you do that. Thanks for your question.

    2. Jane Rowe says:

      The recipe doesn’t give an oven temperature. I’m assuming 350 degrees.

      1. Thanks so much for pointing this out. Yes, 350 degrees. It’s a lovely cake. I hope you enjoy it.

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