Moist Banana Cake (Print View)
Tender banana cake with mashed ripe bananas and a moist crumb—perfect for dessert, brunch, or with coffee.
# What You Need:
→ Dry Ingredients
01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1½ teaspoons baking powder
03 - ½ teaspoon baking soda
04 - ½ teaspoon salt
→ Wet Ingredients
05 - 1 cup granulated sugar
06 - ½ cup vegetable oil or melted unsalted butter
07 - 2 large eggs, room temperature
08 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
09 - 4 medium ripe bananas, mashed (about 1½ cups)
10 - ½ cup buttermilk or plain yogurt
→ Optional Add-ins
11 - ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
12 - ½ cup chocolate chips
# How-To Steps:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9x13-inch cake pan, or line it with parchment paper.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly distributed.
03 - In a large bowl, beat the sugar and oil (or melted butter) together until well combined. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract.
04 - Fold the mashed bananas and buttermilk (or yogurt) into the wet mixture until just combined.
05 - Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, folding gently just until no flour spots remain. Be careful not to overmix.
06 - If using, gently fold the chopped nuts or chocolate chips into the batter.
07 - Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, smoothing the top with a spatula for an even layer.
08 - Bake for 35–40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
09 - Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Serve plain or with your favorite frosting.
# Expert Hints:
01 -
- This cake stays impossibly moist for days, almost like it gets better with time, which is rare for something so simple.
- You probably have every single ingredient in your kitchen right now, no special grocery run required.
02 -
- Overmixing the batter is the fastest way to end up with a dense, rubbery cake instead of a tender crumb, so stop stirring the moment the flour disappears.
- Using bananas that are not ripe enough will give you a cake that tastes faintly of banana instead of deeply rich and sweet.
03 -
- Freeze your overripe bananas whole in their peels whenever you have them, then thaw them overnight in a bowl because they will release tons of liquid that makes the cake even more moist.
- Rotate the cake pan halfway through baking if your oven has hot spots, because an uneven bake is the one thing that ruins an otherwise perfect banana cake.