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You are here: Home / Recipes / Small Banana Cake

Small Banana Cake

01/23/20 | Cakes, Desserts, Recipes, Small-batch Dessert

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This Small Banana Cake recipe makes a cute little two-layer cake that’s soft and moist with just a bit of cinnamon in the batter and luscious cream cheese frosting.

Small two layer banana cake with cream cheese frosting on a cake stand.

We’ve chatted before about what to do with a slightly sad single brown banana.

You could make one banana, one bowl Banana Muffins
Or Chocolate Banana Muffins
Or Banana Pancakes
Or maybe even a thick and frosty Banana Milkshake

And today I’m adding cake to that one-banana recipe list. I think you should use that lone brown banana to make a cake.

One Banana Small Banana Cake

This recipe will make a very adorable, very delicious two-layer, 6-inch banana cake. If you don’t own 6-inch cake pans, it will also make an 8×8 square snack cake or a 9-inch single-layer round cake.

The cake will comfortably serve 4 (6 with smaller slices), or is just the right size for you and someone special to polish off over a weekend.

It’s incredibly soft and moist with just a bit of cinnamon in the batter and comes together quick and easy.

Best of all, you get to smother it with cream cheese frosting.

A slice of banana cake being cut.

The Best Cream Cheese Frosting

The cake is topped off with my favorite Cream Cheese Frosting, which is tangy and rich and a cinch to throw together.

As written, the recipe will make enough to frost the entire cake (sides and all) or you can make your cake with naked sides like I did, and you’ll have a bit of frosting leftover in the bowl.

However you frost it, you really can’t go wrong with this cake and frosting combo.

Slice of small two layer banana cake on a plate.

More Small Cake Recipes

  • Small Chocolate Cake
  • Small Red Velvet Cake
  • Small Carrot Cake
  • Small Lemon Pound Cake
  • Small Pumpkin Cake

Recipe Notes

  • This recipe calls for buttermilk, but if you don’t have any in your fridge, don’t worry, you can still make the cake. The recipe notes section includes a quick buttermilk substitute made with regular milk and lemon juice or vinegar.
  • If you do have buttermilk and have some leftover, check out my post What to Do With Leftover Buttermilk for ideas on what to do with the leftovers.
  • The frosting recipe will make enough frosting to frost the entire cake (you’ll have about 1/4 of the frosting leftover if you frost it with naked sides like I did), but if you want extra frosting for decorating, 1 and 1/2 the frosting recipe and add more powdered sugar as needed to get a frosting stiff enough for piping.
Small Banana Cake

Small Banana Cake

This Small Banana Cake recipe makes a cute little two-layer cake that's soft and moist with just a bit of cinnamon in the batter and luscious cream cheese frosting.
5 from 13 votes
Print Pin
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Cooling Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings (Hover or Click to Change Yield): 4 to 6 slices
Calories: 447kcal
Author: Tracy

Equipment

  • 2 6-inch cake pans
  • Parchment paper

Ingredients

Banana Layer Cake

  • 1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup (56g) salted butter
  • 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons (25g) brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 large overripe banana mashed (about 1/3 cup)
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk or buttermilk replacement*

Frosting

  • 4 ounces cream cheese softened
  • 1/2 cup (113g) salted butter softened*
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cup (180g) powdered sugar sifted, plus more as needed
  • 1 tablespoon milk optional, as needed
  • Chopped walnuts optional, for decoration

Instructions

Banana Cake

  • Preheat oven to 350°F and butter and flour 2 six-inch cake pans and line with parchment paper.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, combine softened butter and granulated and brown sugars and cream together until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.
  • Beat in egg, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract until well-combined, followed by mashed banana.
  • Add half of the flour mixture and mix until just combined, repeating with all of the buttermilk and then the remaining flour mixture.
  • Divide batter evenly between prepared cake pans and bake for 22-27 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean.
  • Cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, butter, and vanilla and beat until smooth.
  • Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth and creamy. If frosting is too thick for your taste, add milk by the teaspoon until it reaches your desired consistency. For stiffer, pipe-able frosting, add more sifted powdered sugar as needed.

To Frost the Cake

  • Place bottom cake layer on cake stand or plate, using a small dollop of frosting to anchor it.
  • Spread 1/3 of the frosting over the bottom layer. Place second cake layer on top and use the rest of the frosting over the top and body of the cake, starting at the top and spreading the frosting down the sides.
  • Decorate with chopped walnuts if desired.
  • Slice, serve, and enjoy!

Notes

* To make buttermilk replacement, add 1 1/2 teaspoon vinegar or lemon juice to a 1/2 cup measuring cup. Fill the cup the rest of the way with milk and set aside for five minutes to sour.
 
*If you are sensitive to salt and have unsalted butter on hand, you can replace the salted butter with unsalted in the frosting and simply salt to taste. 
 
Approximate nutritional information is for six slices. 
Did you make this recipe?I'd love to see it! Tag @BakingMischief or hashtag it #BakingMischief.

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission if you make a purchase using them. There is absolutely no additional cost to you.

Comments | 31 comments

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Welcome!


Hi, I'm Tracy! Welcome to Baking Mischief, where we realize that not everyone is cooking every night for a family of four. We have delicious sweet and savory recipes, mostly scaled for one or two, and we love our pop culture around here, so keep an eye out for film, book, and TV-inspired treats as well! Read more»
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