Everyone’s favorite classic has been upgraded with this recipe for Banana Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting. Soft moist banana loaf cake covered with a tangy cinnamon spiced cream cheese frosting.
This recipe is great to make for an afternoon tea party, or if you’re looking for an extra special weekend breakfast.
If you love banana bakes as much as I do, have a look at this recipe for Banana and Caramel Cupcakes, this recipe for Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Banana Bread, or this recipe for a Vegan Banana Cake.
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Ingredients
To make this easy recipe you will need the ingredients listed below, remember to always use fresh room-temperature ingredients when baking.
- Unsalted butter
- Sunflower oil
- Extra large eggs
- Granulated white sugar
- Muscovado sugar
- Cake flour
- Salt
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Ground cinnamon
- Bananas
- Walnuts
- Powdered sugar
- Unsalted butter
- Cream cheese
Muscovado sugar – for this recipe I used a combination of muscovado and white sugar, I love the deep caramel flavor of the muscovado and the color it adds to this loaf cake. You can choose to use brown sugar instead of muscovado.
Sunflower oil – use a neutral-tasting vegetable oil to make this recipe like sunflower oil or canola oil.
Extra-large eggs – I use extra-large eggs when baking, the weight of my eggs out of their shell is about 56 grams so you can work out how many eggs you will need based on this.
Cake flour – use cake flour or all-purpose flour to make this recipe.
Mashed bananas - make sure you are using overripe bananas to ensure your loaf has a strong banana flavor.
See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Follow the instructions below to make this recipe. First, you will be making the loaf cake, then the creamy frosting, and then decorating.
Instructions for Banana Bread
STEP 1: Preheat oven. Preheat the oven to 180C (350F) and brush a loaf pan with a little sunflower oil and then line it with parchment paper.
STEP 2: Cream butter, sugar, and oil. In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the oil, white sugar, muscovado, and butter. Beat at medium-high speed for about 3 – 5 minutes until creamed.
STEP 3: Add eggs. With the mixer running at low speed add the eggs one at a time. Allow each egg to fully incorporate before adding the next. Once added, scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again.
STEP 4: Sift dry ingredients. In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
STEP 5: Combine wet ingredients. Add the mashed banana, and vanilla to a jug.
STEP 6: Add wet and dry ingredients. Add the wet and dry ingredients to the egg and sugar mixture by alternating between the two. With the mixer's motor running at medium-low speed, start by adding the flour mixture and ending with the banana mixture. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix again.
STEP 7: Add walnuts. Fold through the chopped walnuts.
STEP 8: Bake. Pour the batter into a prepared pan and bake in a preheated oven for 40 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Allow the loaf to cool in its tin for 40 minutes before removing it and allowing it to cool completely on a wire rack.
Instructions for cream cheese icing
STEP 1: Beat butter and icing sugar. In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the butter and icing sugar. Beat at medium speed until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.
STEP 2: Add the cream cheese. Add the cubed cream cheese to the icing sugar mixture and beat at low speed until combined. Scrap down the sides of the bowl and mix again at high speed until light a fluffy. Do not overmix.
STEP 3: Add vanilla and cinnamon. Add the vanilla and cinnamon to the cream cheese mixture, and beat again until just combined.
STEP 4: Decorate. Place the banana loaf cake onto a serving plate and spread the frosting over the top of the cake. Serve and enjoy!
Hint: For lump-free cream cheese frosting make sure the butter and cream cheese are at room temperature.
Substitutions
You can choose to replace the walnuts with pecans or leave the nuts out completely, and replace them with chocolate chips instead.
Equipment
For this recipe, you will need an electric hand mixer or stand mixer. You will also need a loaf cake pan.
Storage
Store any leaf over banana bread in an airtight container at room temperature out of direct sunlight for about 3 days. If it is particularly hot, choose to keep this loaf cake in the fridge.
To freeze this banana bread, cut it into individual slices and wrap each slice in plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost the slices in the fridge overnight, then bring them to room temperature before consuming.
Top tips
Follow the tips below to ensure the best results for this banana bread recipe.
- Use room temperature ingredients
- Test the true temperature of the oven with an oven thermometer.
- To avoid a lumpy cream cheese frosting, make sure the butter and cream cheese are at room temperature.
- Only frost the banana loaf once it has cooled completely.
FAQ
To avoid lumps in your cream cheese frosting, ensure that the butter and cream cheese are both at room temperature.
You may have overmixed the frosting when beating it, but also make sure that the banana loaf has cooled completely before topping it with the frosting.
This recipe is everything you could want from an afternoon treat, and it is really simple to make!
If you make this banana cake recipe, I would love to hear how yours turned out so please leave a comment and star rating below.
And don’t forget to follow along on Instagram @with_love_kitty to make sure you know exactly when I have published a new recipe!
Happy Baking
With Love,
Kitty
📖 Recipe
Banana Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
- 1x loaf tin 20x10x6cm (8x4x3inch)
Ingredients
Banana Loaf
- 120 g unsalted butter
- 60 ml sunflower oil
- 50 g muscovado sugar
- 150 g white sugar
- 2 eggs extra large
- 250 g flour
- 2 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon ground
- 450 g bananas mashed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 80 g walnuts chopped
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 200 g powdered sugar
- 30 g unsalted butter
- 125 g cream cheese
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon ground
Instructions
Banana Loaf
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and brush a loaf pan with a little sunflower oil and then line it with parchment paper.
- In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the oil, white sugar, muscovado, and butter. Beat at medium-high speed for about 3 – 5 minutes until creamed.
- With the mixer running at low speed add the eggs one at a time. Allow each egg to fully incorporate before adding the next. Once added, scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again.
- In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
- Add the mashed banana and vanilla to a jug.
- Add the wet and dry ingredients to the egg and sugar mixture by alternating between the two. With the mixer's motor running at medium-low speed, start by adding the flour mixture and ending with the banana mixture. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix again.
- Fold through the chopped walnuts with a rubber spatula.
- Pour the batter into a prepared pan and bake in a preheated oven for 40 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Allow the loaf to cool in its tin for 40 minutes before removing it and allowing it to cool completely on a wire rack.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the butter, and icing sugar. Beat at medium speed until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.
- Add the cubed cream cheese to the icing sugar mixture and beat at low speed until combined. Scrap down the sides of the bowl and mix again at high speed until light a fluffy. Do not overmix.
- Add the vanilla and cinnamon to the cream cheese mixture, and beat again until just combined.
- Place the banana loaf cake onto a serving plate and spread the frosting over the top of the cake. Serve and enjoy!
lee says
Amazing hit with the family 🤩❣
withlovekitty2020 says
I'm so glad to hear that! 🙂