Tender and flavorful, Banana Cake with Coconut frosting is a warm and delicious treat to enjoy all year round. With the perfect balance of flavor and sweetness this is one dessert everyone will be asking for seconds of.
And if you are on the hunt for more banana recipes you must give our fresh Banana Bread, Chessman Banana Pudding, Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins, and Cream Cheese Banana Bread a try!
Or if you happen to have leftover bananas give these banana smoothies a try! You'll love our Peanut Butter Banana smoothie, Tropical Green Smoothie, and Watermelon Chia Smoothie.
Step by Step Instructions
Firstly to make our Banana Cake with Coconut frosting we want to peel the two bananas and blend them in a bowl with a hand mixer. In another bowl, cream your butter and sugar together.
The longer you cream these two mixtures the more air you allow into your batter, which will make for a fluffier cake. I have learned the hard way over the years to never skip this step, it is crucial. Learn from my mistakes.
Then when done creaming the mixtures go ahead and add the eggs to your creamed butter and sugar. Again, be sure to mix really well. Finally, fold in the mashed bananas, flour, sour milk, vanilla, and baking soda until just incorporated.
Be careful not to put all that creaming of the butter and sugar to waste. You do not want to over mix your batter and lose all the air you have just added to your mixture. Less mixing at this step means a more tender Banana Cake with Coconut frosting later.
Buttermilk
Now if you are anything like me you are wondering where on earth am I supposed to get soured milk from? Some bakers may choose to use buttermilk here but I never have that on hand. I usually opt for the self-souring technique myself.
Because this recipe calls for ⅔ cup sour milk we will want to pour ⅔ of a cup of whole milk, or whatever you have on hand, into a small bowl. I definitely recommend going with whole milk over 2% or skim, but if you are in a pinch, it’s not a deal breaker to use either option.
Then add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice to your bowl. Stir together and allow to sit for 5 minutes. And voilà! Homemade buttermilk or sour milk in just minutes.
Bake the Cake
Line a 9x13 casserole dish with parchment or butcher paper, pour in your banana cake mixture, and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
BE SO CAREFUL not to overcook your Banana cake with Coconut Frosting. This treat is meant to be moist. You will want to keep a close eye on it while it is in the oven.
When finished it will appear golden brown with small browned or darker spots on top. You should be able to insert and remove a toothpick cleanly if finished.
Frosting
Next comes the hard part … waiting until the banana cake is COMPLETELY cooled before frosting. I know the aroma is going to be overwhelming and you will be tempted to ice your cake before it is entirely cooled, but resist! Hot cakes are not a friend to frosting.
While the banana cake is cooling lets prepare the coconut frosting. In a large bowl mix together the cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar. Then add your vanilla and coconut extract.
Top Tips
We all know the most important key to any good banana dessert is in the bananas! If you need help choosing the perfect bananas look right here! It's worth it to let your bananas sit on the counter an extra day or two in a brown paper sack to speed up the ripening process.
However if you can't handle waiting even just one more day you can speed ripen your bananas i secret to ripen your bananas in seven minutes or less.
Speed Ripening Bananas
Take your firm, green, not so spotty bananas and place them directly on a baking sheet. Then place your pan in a pre-heated oven at 350º for 5 to 7 minutes until they are a shiny black and soft to the touch.
Once cooled cut the banana length wise and scoop out the sweetened, mushy banana. It's not quite as effective as letting your bananas ripen on their own naturally but it will get the job done so you can get on with the show.
When completely cooled you can go ahead and frost your Banana Cake with the coconut frosting.
Make it Your Own
For a more unique experience consider garnishing your Banana Cake with Coconut Frosting with any choice of toppings. Some of our favorites include coconut flakes, fresh banana slices, raspberries, drizzled caramel sauce, almond slices, and crushed or candied pecans.
If wanting a lighter coconut flavor, use half of the coconut extract called for. You can also try subbing the coconut for lemon or almond extract instead. If you prefer a classic cream cheese frosting, double the vanilla, and skip the coconut extract all together.
📖 Recipe
Banana Cake with Coconut Frosting
Ingredients
Banana Cake
- ½ cup butter
- 1½ cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 large mashed bananas
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ⅔ cup sour milk or buttermilk
Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
- 16 ounces cream cheese
- ½ cup butter
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 teaspoons coconut extract
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350℉ and line a 9x13 baking dish with butcher paper and set aside.
- Mash ripened bananas in a bowl and set aside.2 large mashed bananas
- With a hand or stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until thoroughly mixed roughly 2-3 minutes. (Scrape the bottom and edges of your mixing bowl with a spatula to make sure all butter and sugar are being incorporated.)½ cup butter, 1½ cups sugar
- Add eggs and vanilla then beat together on medium until just combined.2 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Fold in mashed bananas to batter. Less mixing the better.
- In a seperate bowl prepare your soured milk if you do not have buttermilk on hand.
- In another small bowl mix baking soda and flour.2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda
- With the mixer on low, add dry ingredients one cup at a time. Alternating between a cup of dry mixture and a portion of the soured whole milk.⅔ cup sour milk or buttermilk
- Pour batter into lined baking dish and bake for 20-25 minutes. Do not over bake. Banana cakes are meant to be moist.
- At the 20 minute mark, insert a tooth pick or butter knife into the center of your cake. If it comes out clean, remove the banana cake from oven. If batter is still present, cook an additional 3 minutes and recheck with a tooth pick.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
Frosting
- In a large bowl, mix together cream cheese, butter and powdered sugar, adding powdered sugar one cup at a time.16 ounces cream cheese, ½ cup butter, 4 cups powdered sugar
- Mix in the vanilla and coconut extract to your frosting.1 teaspoon vanilla, 2 teaspoons coconut extract
- Once cake is completely ... COMPLETELY ... cooled, top with coconut cream cheese frosting, and your choice of garnish toppings. Our favorites include coconut flakes, banana slices, raspberries, drizzled caramel sauce, walnuts or sliced almonds.
Notes
- Use ripened spotty bananas for full flavor. (Check out the speed ripening process detailed above if you are in a bind and have only green bananas on hand.)
- Cream the butter and sugar really well. The more air you can get into the batter at this step, the lighter and more tender your cake will be.
- Don't know what soured milk is? Have no fear, I walk you through the steps to making soured milk here on this blog post.
- Do NOT over mix the batter after adding the flour and soured milk. You want to maintain as much of the air from the creaming process as possible. Less is more at this point. Clumps are OK. Embrace them.
- If the top of your banana cake is browning too quickly, loosely cover it with a sheet of aluminum foil while it finishes baking.
- With the frosting if you desire a lighter coconut taste, use half the coconut extract. If you don't like coconut, try lemon or almond extract in place of the coconut. For a more classic cream cheese frosting flavor, skip the coconut extract and instead nix the coconut extract and use only vanilla, but be sure to add 2 teaspoons instead of just the one.
Ellen Thompson says
I don’t usually leave reviews however this recipe has been such a hit in my house hold. I substitute half the flour for whole wheat to make it a bit healthier as I make this every weekend in my house and it is gone within the day!
Amber Leopold says
This cake taste awesome and I love the frosting because it's not over the top sugary! Would definitely recommend!