Peanut butter banana cake combines a moist, tender banana cake with decadent peanut butter cream cheese frosting to create a cake with the classic flavor combination of peanut butter and banana in every bite.
I love baked goods, but it's so much safer to make my own. Living with Celiac's Disease means being very careful with food, and I find it easier to make my own desserts, rather than chancing a flare-up with something from the bakery.
This moist, tender banana cake with peanut butter frosting is one of my favorite gluten-free desserts to make for any occasion because everyone loves its flavor and texture. It's loaded with banana and peanut butter flavors that everyone can enjoy!
This delicious cake is the perfect way to use up brown bananas. I love to make it when my bananas are way too soft to eat on their own. That's when you get the best banana cake flavor!
It tastes almost like my protein banana bread, but it's lighter and cake-like. However, you still get all that great banana flavor. Adding the butter-flavored olive oil really sets this flavor profile apart, and topping it with peanut butter cream cheese frosting is a match made in heaven.
Try serving it as dessert after a hearty meal of my puff pastry chicken pot pie for a dinner that's nothing but comfort food.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Basic Ingredients: You can find everything you need for this cake at your local grocery store. Even gluten free flour is commonplace these days.
- So Easy: Just mix, bake, and frost. There's nothing to it!
- Moist and Tender: This is a moist, tender cake with the perfect crumb.
- Rich Flavor: The combination of deep banana flavor in the cake and the creamy, sweet, earthy peanut butter frosting creates a rich flavor you'll love.
- Versatile: This cake is perfect for a weeknight dessert or any special occasion.
- Freezer-Friendly: You can make extra and store the slices for up to a month for future use!
Jump to:
Ingredients
For the great combination of peanut butter and banana flavors, I use this peanut butter cream cheese frosting.
You can find a complete list of the frosting ingredients and instructions on how to make it in the link above, as well as a list of all the cake ingredients and their exact amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Flavor Variations and Substitutions
- Olive Oil: You can omit the butter olive oil and use an equal amount of regular olive oil in this cake, although the butter olive oil really provides a great flavor.
- Dairy-Free: For a dairy-free cake, simply use dairy-free sour cream in place of regular sour cream. You can also frost it with this dairy-free cream cheese frosting.
- Plain: This is good all by itself, should you decide to forego the cream cheese frosting.
- Extra Sweet: For a sweet flavor, simply use a vanilla buttercream.
- Chocolate Frosting: For another classic flavor combination, try frosting this cake with chocolate buttercream frosting.
How to Make Peanut Butter Banana Cake
Step 1: Whisk the dry ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside. Then, whisk all the wet ingredients except the vanilla in a stand mixer.
Step 2: Add the mashed bananas and vanilla and mix again. Then, mix the dry ingredients into the wet by thirds until the batter is fully mixed.
Step 3: Pour the batter into a prepared 9x13 baking dish. Bake at 300°F until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Step 4: Let the cake cool completely. Then, prepare the peanut butter cream cheese frosting according to the directions.
Step 5: When the cake is fully cooled, frost it with the peanut butter cream cheese frosting.
Step 6: Dive in!
Expert Tips
- Line the bottom of your pan with parchment paper. This allows you to remove the cake from the pan easily.
- Use the ripest bananas possible. Unless they smell, are oozing, or have mold on the skin, the bananas can't be too ripe.
- Mash your bananas until they're as smooth as possible.
- Bring your sour cream and eggs to room temperature for the easiest mixing and best cake texture.
- Bob's Red Mill 1:1 gluten-free flour is the best gluten-free flour I've found for baking cakes.
- Dark, coated cake pans bake cakes much more quickly than light pans. If you're using a dark pan, reduce the heat by 10 degrees and start checking your cake about 5 minutes earlier.
Peanut Butter Banana Cake FAQ
Yes, you can! Peanut butter and banana are a delicious combination. Use peanut butter frosting with your banana cake, as I did, or add peanut butter directly to the batter.
Almost 100% of the time, a banana cake is soggy because too much banana was added. It's tempting to want to add even more banana for more flavor. However, adding more banana also adds more moisture, which results in a soggy cake.
When it comes to banana cake and bread, the riper your bananas, the better. In fact, unless they've gone bad, bananas can't be too ripe. At minimum, your bananas should have dark brown spots on the skin. However, as long as they don't have an off smell, mold on the skin, or are oozing fluid, bananas with skins as dark as black can and should be used. They're terrible for snacking, but they give your bread and cake amazing flavor.
More Delicious Banana Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Banana Peanut Butter Cake
Video
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups Bob's Red Mill 1:1 gluten free flour
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 3 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¾ cup sour cream room temperature
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup Costabile olive oil plus 2 tbsp
- 2 tablespoon Costabile butter olive oil
- 1 ¾ cups bananas mashed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Then, line the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper and coat the pan with coconut oil.
- Mix the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl and set aside.
- Next, combine the sugar, olive oils, sour cream, and eggs in a stand mixer. Then, mix with the whisk attachment for 30 seconds on medium.
- Then, add the mashed bananas and vanilla extract and mix on medium for another 60 seconds until completely combined.
- Add ⅓ of the dry ingredients to the wet and mix on medium speed for 30 seconds. Repeat this step two more times until all the ingredients have been combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake on the center rack for 35 to 42 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool the cake for 30 to 45 minutes in the pan, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Alternately, you can let it cool for at least 1 ½ hours in the pan.
- Frost the cake using my peanut butter cream cheese frosting recipe.
Notes
- Refrigerate for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
- Chill cake slices, wrap them in plastic wrap, and freeze them for up to a month in an airtight, freezer-safe container. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight.
- Serve cold or at room temperature.
- Line the bottom of your pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on each side. This allows you to remove the cake from the pan easily.
- Use the ripest bananas possible. Unless they smell, are oozing, or have mold on the skin, the bananas can't be too ripe.
- Mash your bananas until they're as smooth as possible.
- Bring your sour cream and eggs to room temperature for the easiest mixing and best cake texture.
- Bob's Red Mill 1:1 gluten-free flour is the best gluten-free flour I've found for baking cakes.
- Dark, coated cake pans bake cakes much more quickly than light pans. If you're using a dark pan, reduce the heat by 10 degrees and start checking your cake about 5 minutes earlier.
swathi iyer says
Peanut butter banana cake is delicious. My kids said it is so good and want to make it again.
Leslie says
Ok, this peanut butter cream cheese frosting was truly a delight!! I loved everything about this cake but the icing was truly wonderful!
Lora says
A lovely peanut butter cake that is super easy to put together! Making again today for a party!
Andrea says
Loved the combo of flavors, not too sweet and really satisfying.
Shenae says
I absolutely love this recipe, although I've had to adjust the bake time as it's too undercooked even after 45 minutes. I usually have to put it in for an hour.
NKendrick says
I'm sorry to hear that. It could be the difference in temperature between my oven and yours. Mine tends to run hot.
Sonja says
Looking for recipes to use up browning bananas I seem to always have lying around, this one came to the rescue. Finally one that is different from the usual banana bread. I love that it's gluten free!
Jake says
3/4 cup of sour cream? Do you mean cream cheese?
NKendrick says
hello, The sour cream goes into the cake. Cream cheese will be used in the frosting, which is its own recipe linked with the cake.
Leslie Molnar says
Hi,
Are cooking time and temperature the same if I don't make it gluten free/vegan? Thank you!
NKendrick says
Hello, this one isn't vegan, but it is gluten free, and the cooking time will be just the same if you use regular all-purpose flour! Always begin checking your cake as it approaches the finish time given all brands of ingredients and oven temps may vary!
Leslie Molnar says
Thank you! Can't wait to try it!
Criss says
This peanut butter banana cake is a total winner! The flavors blend so well, and it’s perfectly moist. Such a delicious treat that I’ll be making again for sure!
Ashley says
Love the sound of this easy snack cake recipe! I have some overripe bananas in my freezer that I need to use up and this sounds perfect for that!