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    You are here: Home / Recipes / Banana Nut Cake

    Banana Nut Cake

    BY: Courtney PUBLISHED: Jul 31, 2022 Leave a Comment UPDATED ON: Dec 9, 2022

    This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.
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    JUMP TO RECIPE
    stacked slices of banana nut cake and a split photo of a sheet cake uncake.
    banana nut cake staked slices.

    This banana nut cake is my absolute favorite go-to banana recipe for ripe bananas. A super moist and decadent banana cake that is topped with cream cheese frosting and a sprinkle of walnuts.

    2 slices of banana nut cake stacked

    This banana recipe is great for parties, summer cookouts, or the occasional weeknight dessert to treat yourself with after a long week. The cream cheese frosting will blow you away in the flavor department.

    Also check out my oat flour banana muffins and this banana bread with a coffee cake crumble on top. Two more stellar banana dessert recipes.

    Ingredient notes

    • Granulated Sugar – This is going to be the sweetening agent in the banana cake.
    • Ripe Bananas – Brown spotted bananas are best as it will enhance the flavor of the cake tremendously.
    • Oil – Vegetable or canola oil work great for this.
    • Eggs
    • All Purpose Flour – Make sure to scoop the flour into the measuring cup with a spoon and level it off for accurate measuring.
    • Baking Powder and Baking Soda
    • Ground Cinnamon – The cinnamon enhances the flavor of the cake and gives a nice warm undertone to the bread.
    • Salt
    • Walnuts – Crushed walnuts is what I prefer. It offers the perfect crunch to the soft fluffy cake and frosting.
    • Cream Cheese – Make sure your cream cheese is softened, or it will not create a creamy base for the frosting.
    • Butter – Unsalted room temperature butter is needed. Do not use margarine.
    • Vanilla – Just a little goes a long way to elevate the flavor of the frosting.
    • Powdered Sugar – If you find your powdered sugar has lumps you can always sift it to remove lumps first.
    cream cheese, powdered sugar, bananas, eggs, butter, flour, sugar, walnuts, and other ingredients needed for baking a banana nut cake on a marble backdrop with yellow napkin.

    How to make Banana Nut Cake

    Preheat your oven and prepare your 9×13 pan as directed.

    bananas, oil, sugar, and eggs, in a bowl.

    Next in a large mixing bowl you will want to add the sugar, eggs, and banana along with the oil.

    wet mixture for cake mixed in a bowl.

    Mix until the banana mixture is well combined and no large clumps of the bananas are in the mixture.

    ingredients in a bowl ready to make cake.

    Then you will begin to add in the dry ingredients. When you are mixing, make sure to scrape down the sides to remove any stuck-on ingredients.

    banana nut cake batter in a bowl with a rubber cake spatula.

    Make sure to incorporate the batter fully. It will be bubbly on the top after mixing it.

    banana nut cake batter with chopped walnuts in a bowl with a rubber cake spatula.

    Fold in the crushed walnuts and mix it in the batter with a spatula. Just mix enough to ensure the nuts are incorporated into the batter.

    banana nut cake batter in a rectangle cake pan with a spatula on top to spread.

    Pour into your baking pan and toss in the oven to bake as directed. Once done, remove from the oven and allow the banana cake to cool completely.

    cooked banana nut cake in a baking dish with dollops of frosting on it ready to spread.

    Next you will add your frosting ingredients into a bowl and mix until nice and creamy. Then add dollops over the cooled cake.

    cooked banana nut cake in a baking dish with frosting.

    Spread the frosting out into an even layer.

    cooked banana nut cake in a baking dish with dollops of frosting and crushed walnuts.

    Garnish with additional crushed walnuts if you would like. I find it adds a nice presentation value to the cake.

    Recipe tips and variations

    • Make sure to use ripe bananas otherwise your flavor will lack. You want the bananas to have a nice brown freckle look to them.
    • When you mash up the banana remove large chunks, as that can create a mushy texture when you bite into the cake.
    • The frosting is optional. You could always swap with a buttercream, vanilla frosting, etc.
    • Nuts are optional but add great texture.
    • Consider adding in some chocolate chips for a kick of sweetness in the cake.

    Storage and reheating tips

    • Refrigerate: Store any banana nut cake leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3 days.
    • Freeze: To freeze leftover cake, simply place it in an airtight freezer safe container and freeze for 3-4 months.

    How to serve

    This cake is a perfect dessert to serve up all year round. Slice and serve alone or pair with a scoop of ice cream on the side.

    Frequently asked questions

    What is the difference between banana bread and banana cake?

    Banana bread is a firmer texture where cake is lighter and fluffier. You will find both desserts offer similar flavoring.

    Why is my banana cake so dry?

    You might have either overbaked the cake or you added too much flour and the dry ingredients overtook the wet ingredients in the batter.

    How to brown up bananas quickly?

    Place foil on a baking sheet and place unripe bananas in a single layer. Bake at 275 degrees for 30 minutes or until the skins of the bananas are black and the bananas are soft. Allow the bananas to cool a bit then peel and use in any recipe you would like.

    more banana recipes

    banana chocolate chip pancakes

    Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes with Oatmeal

    close up of oat flour banana muffin with muffins behind it.

    Oat Flour Banana Muffins

    Banana Bundt Cake Recipe

    Banana Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze

    2 slices of banana nut cake stacked

    Banana Nut Cake

    A moist banana cake that is then topped with a thick and creamy cream cheese frosting and nuts. This banana nut cake recipe is the perfect way to use up ripe bananas.
    5 from 4 votes

    click the stars to rate this recipe

    Print Pin Recipe
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: banana cake, banana nut cake
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes
    Total Time: 35 minutes
    Servings: 12 servings
    Calories: 322kcal
    Author: Courtney

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup granulated sugar
    • 3 medium ripe bananas
    • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
    • 2 eggs
    • 1 cup all purpose flour
    • 1 tsp baking powder
    • 1/2 tsp baking soda
    • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
    • 1/4 tsp salt
    • 3/4 cup crushed walnuts

    Cream Cheese Frosting

    • 3 oz cream cheese softened
    • 5 tbsp unsalted butter softened
    • 1 tsp vanilla
    • 2 cups powdered sugar
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick spray.
    • In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, bananas, oil and eggs until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Stir in 1/2 cup of the walnuts.
    • Spread the batter in the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.
    • Frosting:
    • Cream together the cream cheese, butter and vanilla. Slowly add in the powdered sugar and mix until a thick frosting forms.
    • Dollop the frosting all over the banana bars and carefully spread it to the edges. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup walnuts, cut and enjoy!

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 322kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 44mg | Sodium: 132mg | Potassium: 213mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 40g | Vitamin A: 245IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 1mg

    The nutritional information is automatically calculated and can vary based ingredients and products used. If the nutrition numbers are important for you we recommend calculating them yourself.

    nutrition disclaimer
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    POSTED IN: Desserts Recipes

    About Courtney

    Family, Food, and Photography are Courtney's passions and you'll see all of that on this blog. She is happily married to her husband Chris and together they have two amazing kiddos!

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