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Home / How to Make Cream Cheese Topping for Banana Cake

How to Make Cream Cheese Topping for Banana Cake

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This super moist easy banana cake is slathered in smooth and tangy cream cheese icing for a simple and satisfying dessert.

This super moist easy banana cake is slathered in smooth and tangy cream cheese icing for a simple and satisfying dessert.
Slices of banana cake on white plates with gold forks and a glass of milk.

I've always said when life hands you over-ripe bananas, make banana bread; that is until I started making this easy banana cake with cream cheese icing!

All of a sudden I've had a run on brown bananas. Not sure if my kids weren't grabbing their daily banana fix or if they were secretly plotting for more banana baked treats, but I decided to try something new.

I adapted my go-to banana bread recipe for a decidedly more cake-y, dessert-like feel. That means upping the butter, sugar, and buttermilk content and baking this easy banana cake in a single cake pan.

A banana cake on a cake stand iced with cream cheese icing.

And we can't have cake without icing right? My family adores cream cheese icing slathered over just about anything and you bet they swooned when I spread a thick layer over this cooled banana cake.

The combo is a keeper. The cake is light, super moist, and packed with banana flavor. The tangy cream cheese icing compliments the cake perfectly without it tasting overly sweet. This easy banana cake is delicious served at room temperature or it can be stored in the frig, sliced, and served chilled.

If you're looking for a new recipe to use up those brown bananas, look no further. Just be ready to bake when your family suddenly goes on a banana eating strike!

A close up of a slice of easy banana cake with a gold fork on the plate.

Let's make easy banana cake with cream cheese icing

Step by step photos showing how to make Easy Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Icing. Cream the butter and sugar (1), mash the banana with buttermilk (2) combine (3), add dry ingredients and spread in pan (4), bake until set (5), cool on a wire rack (6), Whip the butter and cream cheese (7), beat in the sugar (8).
  1. Cream the butter and sugars together.
  2. In a separate bowl, mash together the ripe bananas and buttermilk.
  3. Add the eggs and banana/buttermilk mixture to the butter/sugars. Beat well.
  4. Beat in the dry ingredients and spread in a greased and lined pan.
  5. Bake for about 55 mins, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  6. Cool the cake completely on a wire rack before icing.
  7. While the cake cools, make the icing. Beat butter and cream cheese together for the icing until smooth.
  8. Gradually mix in the confectioners sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth. Spread the icing over the cool cake and serve.
A slice of easy banana cake with a bite cut off.

Tips for success

  • I recommend using SUPER ripe bananas for this cake (as in mostly brown).
  • As with most cake recipes, don't over-mix the batter so you have a tender crumb, not too dense or chewy. The batter will be a little lumpy or curdled before the addition of the flour and never completely smooth.
  • A round or square 9 inch cake pan can be used interchangeably for this recipe.
  • I always line the bottom of my cake pan with parchment paper for easy removal. Simply loosen the edges with a knife before you invert the cake onto a plate then turn over onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
  • Don't whip the icing. Beat the softened (room temp) cream cheese and butter together with the sugar until smooth and silky.
  • Store the cake covered at room temperature for up to 2 days. Alternatively keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
A slice of easy banana cake with a bite cut off.

Banana love

  • Banana Bread
  • Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

More easy desserts

  • Sour Cream Coffee Cake
  • Olive Oil Chocolate Chips Cookies
  • Super Fudgy Brownies
  • Snickerdoodle Bars

A slice of easy banana cake with a bite cut off.

This super moist easy banana cake is slathered in smooth and tangy cream cheese icing for a simple and satisfying dessert.

Course: Cake

Cuisine: American

Keyword: banana cake, cream cheese icing

Servings: 8 Servings

Calories: 797 kcal

Banana Cake

  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 8 oz unsalted butter, softened (2 sticks)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 1/2 cups mashed banana, (about 4 very ripe bananas)
  • 2 1/2 cups AP flour, sifted
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Icing

  • 4 oz cream cheese, softened (brick, not whipped)
  • 4 oz unsalted butter, softened (1 stick)
  • 8 oz confectioners sugar (1/2 box)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Banana Cake

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 inch pan with butter or cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper (for easy removal). Set aside.

  2. Cream butter and both sugars with an electric mixer on med/high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition.

  3. Combine mashed banana and buttermilk in a seperate bowl and add the banana mixture to the creamed mixture and beat on medium speed until combined, about 1 minute.

  4. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in small bowl.

  5. Add dry ingredients to wet mixture, mixing until just combined. Stir in vanilla, being careful not to over mix.

  6. Pour batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

  7. Bake for about 55 mins or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

  8. Let the banana cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing to cool on a wire rack. Cool to room temperature.

Cream Cheese Icing

  1. Beat the cream cheese and butter together on med speed with a paddle attachement until combined.

  2. Gradually add in confectioners sugar, mixing well to combine. Stir in vanilla extract until incorporated. The icing should be smooth but not fluffy.

Ice the Cake

  1. Once the cake is completely cooled, spoon the icing on top and spread in a thick layer.

  • I recommend using SUPER ripe bananas for this cake (as in mostly brown).
  • As with most cake recipes, don't over-mix the batter so you have a tender crumb, not too dense or chewy. The batter will be a little lumpy or curdled before the addition of the flour and never completely smooth.
  • A round or square 9 inch cake pan can be used interchangeably for this recipe.
  • I always line the bottom of my cake pan with parchment paper for easy removal. Simply loosen the edges with a knife before you invert the cake onto a plate then turn over onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
  • Don't whip the icing. Beat the softened (room temp) cream cheese and butter together with the sugar until smooth and silky.
  • Store the cake covered at room temperature for up to 2 days. Alternatively keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Nutrition Facts

Easy Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

Amount Per Serving

Calories 797 Calories from Fat 378

% Daily Value*

Fat 42g 65%

Saturated Fat 26g 163%

Cholesterol 151mg 50%

Sodium 388mg 17%

Potassium 315mg 9%

Carbohydrates 100g 33%

Fiber 2g 8%

Sugar 66g 73%

Protein 8g 16%

Vitamin A 1380IU 28%

Vitamin C 2mg 2%

Calcium 119mg 12%

Iron 2mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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About Cathy Roma

My food philosophy is simple: everything in moderation. Sweet, savory, healthy, decadent…food, like life, is all about balance. I rely on my background as a trained chef/mom to create family-friendly recipes that will inspire you to cook, not complicate your life.

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How to Make Cream Cheese Topping for Banana Cake

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