Name: Banana Cake
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 15
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3 cups all-purpose flour* (sifted, $0.54); 1½ tsp baking soda ($0.02); ½ tsp ground cinnamon ($0.05); ½ tsp salt ($0.01); 1 tsp lemon juice ($0.01); 3 bananas (very ripe (mashed), $0.84*); 1 cup granulated sugar ($0.96); ½ cup light brown sugar ($0.24); 3 eggs (room temperature, $0.87); ¾ cup unsalted butter ($1.89); 2 tsp vanilla extract ($1.30); 1½ cups milk ($0.27); 8 oz. cream cheese (softened to room temperature, $2.08); 8 Tbsp unsalted butter (room temperature, (1 stick) $0.99); 3 cups powdered sugar* ($0.97); 1 tsp vanilla extract ($0.65); 1 tsp lemon juice ($0.01); 2 Tbsp crushed walnuts ($0.29)

Banana Cake

When life hands you overripe bananas about to meet their doom, make this budget-friendly Banana Cake instead!

1 hr 20 min total 35 min prep 45 min cook 15 513 cal

Instructions

Tap a step to mark it done

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180C / 160C fan or Gas Mark 4 and grease a 9x13” baking dish. Whisk the sifted flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together. Set aside.
2 Mash the very ripe bananas and lemon juice with a fork and set aside.
3 Using a handheld mixer, beat the butter and sugars on high speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
4 Add the eggs and the vanilla to sugar/butter mixture. Beat on medium speed until combined.
5 Then, add the mashed bananas.
6 With the mixer on low speed, using your free hand, add 1/3 of the dry ingredients and 1/3 of the milk, back and forth until all ingredients are fully mixed in. Do not overmix. The batter will be slightly thick and a little lumpy from the bananas.
7 Spread batter into the buttered pan and bake for 45–50 minutes. When you insert a toothpick in the center and it comes out clean, you know your cake is done! If you notice the cake is browning very quickly, test it with the toothpick and cover loosely with aluminum foil for the remainder of the bake time if it’s not quite done.
8 To make your frosting, combine all frosting ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix with your handheld mixer until completely creamy and smooth.
9 Allow cake to cool completely (on the countertop it took my cake about an hour) before frosting. Frost and enjoy with an extra sprinkle of crushed walnuts on top!