Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe from Belize

Flavored with a (perfect) overload of bananas, cinnamon, and buttermilk, and complete with a delicious cream cheese frosting, this easy banana cake with cream cheese frosting is almost like a combination of cake and banana bread. It is the best banana cake recipe I’ve ever tried! And boy, oh boy, are you gonna want to try it, too.

“Hello Reader! I try my hardest to research recipes as best as I can before posting to ensure I am representing each culture correctly. If this recipe is from your country and I have made a mistake or you have suggestions for how to make it more authentic, I would love to hear! Please leave a comment below letting me know what should be different, and I will rework the recipe. It is always my intention to pay homage and respect to each cultural dish that I cook. Thanks for reading!”

Recipe Origins

I originally chose this recipe to represent Belize on my blog after learning from a few Belizeans that banana cake always makes them think of home. Banana cake is one of my personal favorites, so eating it to celebrate Belize made it extra special!

It is a simple, moist cake recipe slathered in cream cheese frosting, just waiting to be devoured! Another easy frosted cake that has a simple baking hack is this lemon cake prepared from a cake mix and a few extra touches.

Why Make this Recipe

1. Use Up Extra Bananas: Yes, banana bread is delicious, but why not try something new and make this banana cake recipe instead? 
2. Springtime Recipe: I’m not sure why this cake feels like springtime to me but it just does? Lime Jello Salad screams spring too! Enjoy one or both, as a great Mother’s day or Easter dessert!
3. Simple: As far as cakes go, this one is pretty easy! Just mix all of the ingredients together and bake away. This is great for anyone in a rush! 

What Do I Need to Make this Recipe? 

Ingredients 

Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.

1. Bananas: Make sure you use overripe bananas with lots of brown spots! The riper the banana, the more sweet your Banana Cake will be. 
2. Brown Sugar: I use dark brown sugar, but light brown sugar will work as well. Make sure to pack the sugar into the measuring cup for the right amount. 
3. Flour: All purpose flour 
4. Butter: I prefer to use unsalted butter.
5. Cream Cheese: Full fat cream cheese if possible. Low Fat cream cheese will also work, but the frosting will be less rich.

Tools 

1. Mixing Bowls: Large and medium 
2. Potato Masher: To mash the bananas. I find you can get them mashed more finely this way than with an electric hand mixer. You can also use a fork. 
3. Electric Hand Mixer
4. 9×13 Pan: This recipe was tested using a glass pan. 

Buttermilk Substitution

Buttermilk is necessary for this recipe, but if you don’t have any, you can make it another way! 

Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice (or distilled white vinegar) to a bowl. Then add 1 ½ cups of whole milk. Wait 5 minutes, then use it in your recipe. 

You just created buttermilk! 

Additional Mix-Ins 

Feel free to add any other mix-ins to this recipe that sound delicious to you! Good choices are: 

• Mini chocolate chips
• Chopped Walnuts 
• Orange zest 
• Lemon zest 

How to Make this Recipe

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Step 1: Make the Cake Batter 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mash the bananas. Stir in melted butter.

Use an electric hand mixer to mix the eggs, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and buttermilk with the mashed bananas.

In a separate medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, and mix on medium-high speed until combined.

Step 2: Bake the Cake

Grease a 9×13 pan and pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. 

Then, remove the cake from the oven. For faster cooling, leave the pan to cool on a wire rack.

Step 3: Make the Perfect Cream Cheese Frosting

In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together butter and cream cheese on high speed until smooth and creamy.

Add in 3 cups powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds to combine, then switch to high speed and beat for two minutes.

Step 4: Frost the Cake

Once the cake is cooled, spread the frosting on the cake, top with banana slices (if desired), and enjoy!

Difference Between American Banana Cake and Belizean Banana Cake

This recipe, though originally made to represent Belize, is now a more typical American version of banana cake after redoing the recipe in 2022. 

To make a stereotypical Belizean Banana Cake (my original recipe), the adjustments are simple: 

• Add 6 bananas instead of 3 
• Bake it at the same temperature until a toothpick comes out clean 
• Do not top the cake with cream cheese frosting

The resulting cake is denser and more full of banana flavor. The cake recipe below is a bit lighter in texture than the rest of the Belizean Banana Cakes on the internet, but it is still a great choice as a way to “experience” Belize from home. 

Expert Tips

• You can also make this cake recipe in a stand mixer if you prefer. Use the paddle attachment for the batter and the whisk attachment for the frosting.
• Do not overmix the batter or the cake could end up tough. 
• Make sure your eggs are room temperature. This allows them to get more fluffy as you mix! 
• Only add the powdered sugar one cup at a time for the frosting if you want to avoid a mess from your electric hand mixer. 
• You can also try out this recipe for Honey Cream Cheese Frosting instead if you’d like! 
• If you find that this cake (or any) is losing a lot of crumbs as you try to frost it, try freezing the cake. This is a great way to make sure that the cake stays in one piece while frosting!

Making a Layered Cake

If you want to make a layered cake instead of a sheet cake, you can certainly do so! For this method, pour the batter equally into 2 greased 9-inch cake pans.

You can bake the cakes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. You can then add a layer of frosting between the cake layers and then frost the entire cake!

If you are baking a layer cake instead of a sheet cake, it might not hurt to 1.5 or 2x the cream cheese frosting recipe, just so you have enough to make a decent center layer. 

Recipe FAQs

Did you enjoy this recipe for Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting? If so, check out these other recipes I picked out just for you: 

• Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting 
• Easy Tres Leches Cake 
• Banana Split Egg Rolls
• Banana Fritters