This sweet and tender Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is fragrant with bananas and topped with a tangy icing for a gorgeous gluten-free treat. Save your ripe bananas and make this one all year long!

A banana cake with cream cheese frosting with two slices cut out

Banana Cake Recipe

Got ripe bananas? Make gluten free banana cake with cream cheese frosting! Even if you don’t have ripe bananas, it’s worth setting aside some bananas in advance so you can let them get nice and ripe on the counter. Then make this two-layer cake!

Banana cakes are so lovely because you can rely on the natural sweetness of the fruit to sweeten the batter, meaning you don’t need a ton of extra sugar. Brown sugar in this cake adds a hint of molasses-y sweetness, complementing the bananas perfectly. Oat and almond flours make a simple gluten-free base for the cake, keeping it both sturdy and moist. A thread of cinnamon winds throughout the cake, infusing it with warming spice.

And let’s not forget to mention the frosting! I adore a good cream cheese frosting and this one more than lives up to its potential. The slight tanginess of the frosting offsets the sweetness of the cake beautifully, making for a memorable dessert you’ll want to make for company or, why not, an ordinary weekday.

A whole banana cake with cream cheese frosting is shown on a white background

Why You’ll Love It

This beautiful layer cake is absolutely packed with sweet banana flavor in every bite. Here’s why you’ll love this banana cake with cream cheese frosting:

It’s naturally gluten-free. This cake is made up of two simple gluten-free flours: oat and almond flour, which makes it nutritious as well with a punch of protein from the almonds and whole grains from the oats. All of the rest of the ingredients are gluten-free as well.
It’s so banana-y! If you love bananas, you’ll love this cake! You’ll need 3 large bananas to infuse this banana cake with cream cheese frosting with fruit flavor.
You can easily make this with a flour substitute. If you prefer, you can substitute 3 cups of all-purpose gluten-free flour for the oat and almond flour. Or simply use 3 cups of all-purpose flour if you don’t need to be gluten-free.

Ingredients for banana cake are shown on a white background - bananas, eggs, gluten free flour, butter

What You’ll Need

Here’s what you’ll need to make this sweet and soft banana cake The full ingredient amounts and instructions are in the recipe card below.

FOR THE CAKE

Bananas – Use ripe bananas that are slightly browning for this cake for the best flavor. Skip bananas that are still green.
Oat flour – A wholesome, whole grain gluten-free flour, oat flour is perfect for baking
Almond flour – Use fine ground almond flour to give structure and heft to this cake
Baking powder and baking soda – To help the cake rise
Cinnamon – Ground cinnamon gives a hint of warming spice to the cake
Salt – I always use fine sea salt in my baking recipes
Butter – Butter gives this cake a wonderful richness
Brown sugar – You can use light or dark brown sugar to sweeten this banana cake
Eggs – Eggs help to bind the batter
Vanilla extract – Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor
Buttermilk – Buttermilk gives this cake moisture and richness

FOR THE FROSTING

Butter – This is a buttercream frosting at its heart, so butter forms the base of the frosting!
Cream cheese – Use full-fat cream cheese
Powdered sugar – To sweeten the frosting

Slices of banana cake with cream cheese frosting

How to Make Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting:

FOR THE CAKE

Heat the oven and prepare the pans: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans, line with parchment paper rounds, then grease the parchment paper.
Mash the bananas: Mash the bananas.
Whisk together the dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the oat flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
Cream the butter and sugar, then add the eggs: In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar using a mixer on high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the eggs and the vanilla and beat on medium-high speed until combined.
Beat in the bananas, dry mix, and buttermilk: Beat in the mashed bananas, scraping down the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the buttermilk and mixing each addition just until incorporated.
Bake: Divide the batter evenly between the two pans. Let rest for 10 minutes, then bake for 35-40 minutes, checking at 30 minutes, until a tester inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean and the sides are starting to come away from the edges of the pan.
Cool: Remove the cakes from the oven and set on a wire rack. Allow to cool completely in the pan.
Chill: Remove the cake from the pans and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour or up to overnight before frosting.
Make the frosting: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer, beat the butter on high speed until creamed. Add the cream cheese and beat on high speed until combined, smooth, and creamy. Add the powdered sugar and mix on low speed for 30 seconds, then switch to high speed and beat for 2 minutes.
Assemble: Place 1 cake layer on a plate and cover it evenly with the frosting. Top with the second layer and evenly cover the top and sides. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before slicing.

Tips and Variation Ideas

Need subs? I’ve got you covered! Read on for substitution suggestions plus some variation options:

Substitute gluten-free all-purpose flour: Substitute 3 cups 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour for the oat and almond flour.
For the oat flour: Substitute sorghum flour.
For the almond flour: Substitute tiger nut flour, another nut flour, or teff flour.
To make dairy-free: Substitute your favorite non-dairy butter and cream cheese and make non-dairy buttermilk by taking 1 ½ cups of your preferred non-dairy milk and adding 6 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice or vinegar, then let it rest for 15 minutes before using.
To make your own buttermilk: Add 6 teaspoons of vinegar to 1 ½ cups of whole milk.
To make refined sugar-free: Substitute coconut sugar for brown sugar.
Add toasted nuts: Add 1 cup chopped, toasted walnuts to the cake batter for a little crunch.
Add blueberries: You can add 1-2 cups of fresh blueberries to the cake batter to make blueberry banana cake.

A slice of banana cake with cream cheese frosting with a fork on a plate

Storage Options

Store leftover cake, tightly covered with foil, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Serve cold or at room temperature.

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