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I love baking and I’m always looks for excuses to make delicious cakes and desserts to share with friends and family. As my life has changed over the last few years since our kids were born, I’m finding my baking style has also changed. I just don’t have as much time and attention for detailed cakes and desserts since I often have my kids at my feet while I’m working in the kitchen, and so I tend to gravitate toward more rustic desserts that focus mostly on taste and not as much on style!Simple and Moist Banana Cake
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Banana Layer Cake Recipe
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Banana Layer Cake with Fluffy Peanut Butter Frosting
This bakery-inspired Banana Layer Cake recipe is simple and basic, making it perfect for beginning bakers!
Recipe: Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 large bananas mashed
- 2/3 cup buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- 2/3 cup canola oil
- 1 2/3 cups sugar
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp sea salt
For the frosting:
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups smooth peanut butter
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- 6 tbsp whole milk
- 1/3 cup salted peanuts crushed (for garnish)
Recipe: Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour two 8" round cake pans and set them aside.
- To a large bowl add the mashed bananas, the buttermilk, and the eggs, and whisk them together until they're combined. Stir in the canola oil and then the sugar.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and sea salt to a separate bowl and whisk until combined. Add the dry ingredients into the banana mixture and fold them together with a rubber spatula just until no more streaks of flour remain. Do not over-mix or you'll create too many air bubbles in your batter which causes a problem called tunnelling (if you can see long, gaping holes in your baked cake, it means you have over-mixed!).
- Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of one of the cakes comes out clean.
- Let the cakes cool in their pans for about 5 minutes and then gently turn them out upside down onto wire racks to cool.
- While the cakes are cooling, begin to prepare the frosting by whipping the butter and the peanut butter on high speed until they're well combined and nice and fluffy.
- Add the powdered sugar about a cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl periodically so that all the powdered sugar gets into the frosting.
- Add the whole milk one tablespoon at a time, whipping well after each addition. Continue whipping until the frosting reaches a gorgeous light and fluffy texture that's perfectly spreadable. You may need to add slightly less or slightly more milk depending on what kind of butter and/or peanut butter you use, so it's a good idea to watch closely as you're whipping to ensure you create frosting with a spreadable texture.
- Once the cake has cooled, cut each layer in half horizontally using a sharp serrated knife, making sure to turn the cake layer as you cut to create layers as even as possible. If cutting cake layers freaks you out, I guarantee this cake will taste just as amazing as a two-layer cake, so feel free to skip this part altogether!
- Frost the cake, making sure to spread a nice thick, even layer of frosting between each of the layers. When making layer cakes I like to add my layers upside down so the flat end is facing upward. This creates a more even top and helps the cake stay straight.
- Frost the top and sides of the cake, creating a simple swirl pattern if you wish.
- Add the crushed peanuts to the top of the banana layer cake and press them into the frosting just slightly with your palm.
Recipe: Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Banana Layer Cake with Fluffy Peanut Butter Frosting
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 878
Calories from Fat 378
% Daily Value*
Fat 42g65%
Saturated Fat 13g81%
Cholesterol 70mg23%
Sodium 532mg23%
Potassium 441mg13%
Carbohydrates 116g39%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 84g93%
Protein 14g28%
Vitamin A 561IU11%
Vitamin C 2mg2%
Calcium 71mg7%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
Be sure to refrigerate the banana layer cake for at least 2 hours before serving. This will make it easy to slice and help the layers stay intact as you serve it.
Enjoy with a nice tall glass of milk, or your beverage of choice!
Girl, I LOVE banana bread and I love peanut butter–so I am all in for this!
Thanks Kristen!! Me too 🙂
I think I just found a recipe for dessert for this weekend!! Thanks for sharing.
That's great Kendra!! Let me know how you enjoy it!!
This is just beautiful!
Thanks Megan!
Oh, hello heaven. Seriously, it does not get better than PB and bananas and CAKE in one beautiful recipe. Can't wait to try!!
Thanks Karly! I hope you like it!
I made this cake recipe (as cupcakes) using ermine frosting which we find less sweet. https://www.sugarandsoul.co/best-peanut-butter-frosting-recipe/ as special treat for my father in law who’s a former teaching chef and world culinary olympian. He was crazy about them. His words… “I eat them with a spoon!”
It’s the sea salt… it makes it special!
So glad you liked it! Thanks!
Hi! What is the difference in this cake and your Banana Bars?
Great question – the banana bread bars are a little bit more dense. This layer cake recipe is lighter and fluffier.