The Best MOIST Banana Cake with Oil
This Banana Cake recipe is made with oil (no butter needed!) and a great way to use over ripe bananas! With these easy step-by-step instructions, you’ll bake an incredibly moist and indulgently sweet banana cake from scratch. Finished with a luscious layer of classic or whipped cream cheese frosting, ( a reader favorite!) this cake is one you’ll come back to over and over!
This is literally the best banana sheet cake. Wanna know why?
Because people stop me in the street to tell me how good it is. One of my friends moms came over to me a while ago while I was out with my kids and said she had to tell me how amazing this cake was, and that her grandchildren love that every time she comes over they know that she is gonna make this cake.
Cue the tears, its fine. 😭😭😭😭
So this is your sign to stop what you’re doing, grab those over-ripe bananas that I KNOW you have sitting on your counter and make this super easy banana cake. Your grandchildren will thank you.
The cake is super moist because its made with oil, which also created a super a light and fluffy texture with delightfully sweet and creamy banana flavor.
As a rule of thumb, the riper the bananas are ( that means they are dark, spotty, and super mushy) the sweeter your cake will be! These are the kinds of bananas I am always baking with.
As a trained pastry chef, I’m used to making banana cakes with butter, but for this banana cake, I opted for all-oil, and it made a DELICIOUS difference. Now with over 60, 5 star reviews for this recipe, I’m so glad I did!
I use the same technique for this banana bread made with oil. And because everything is better with frosting, you can’t skip this cream cheese frosting to slather all over the cake!
I’m obsessed with baking with bananas. I always seem to have some past their prime on my counter so I like to make these 5 star rated banana chocolate chip muffins,or fresh banana cupcakes!
Baking with oil instead of butter
I use oil here instead of butter for a few reasons. Using oil keeps a cake moist for longer (like days longer) than a cake with butter. It also creates a more tender crumb. Sometimes butter can weigh a cake down and I definitely didn’t want that for this recipe.
Not using butter also allows the cake to stay dairy free, just choose a different frosting, like this dairy free frosting to top instead!
Frosting
The frosting I like the best for this cake is cream cheese frosting! The super sweet and soft cake pairs perfectly with the complex, tangy tastes in cream cheese frosting. It’s a great frost onto your cake with a spoon or knife. You could also try it with a ganache frosting, yum!
Cake size
I make this cake in a 9×13″ pan but you can divide the batter into two round 9″ cake pans and bake like that to make a layer cake. Make sure to check on the cakes at the 30 minutes mark. If they are still jiggly in the middle give it another 5-10 minutes.
You can also make this recipe into cupcakes. Line a muffin tin with cake liners and bake for 18 minutes.
The secret to keeping this cake moist
- Using oil instead of butter in this recipe keeps it light and moist with a fluffy crumb.
- Only mix until combined! Do not over mix the batter as it can create a tough batter.
- Measure your dry ingredients correctly. The best way to do this is with a kitchen scale. If you don’t have a scale then spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off.
The Best MOIST Banana Cake with Oil
Ingredients
- 1 cup (225 g) banana , ripe, mashed, About 2 medium-large or 3 small bananas
- 3 (3) large eggs
- 1 cup (218 g) vegetable oil
- 2 tsp (2 tsp) vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- 2 cups (240 g) all purpose flour
- 1 tsp (1 tsp) baking powder
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) baking soda
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) kosher salt
- 1 batch (1 batch) Cream Cheese Frosting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F and generously grease a 9×13” pan with baking spray. You can make this recipe by hand or by using a hand or stand mixer on medium speed.
- In a large bowl mash the 1 cup bananas. It’s ok if there are little lumps. Add the 3 eggs, 1 cup vegetable oil, and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and stir to combine. Add the 1 1/2 cups of sugar to combine.
- In another bowl or over a large piece of parchment paper combine the 2 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp salt. Add the mixture to the bowl and mix lightly until combined.
- Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 30-35 minutes. The cake is done when the edges start to pull away from the sides and the top feels firm when touched.
- Allow cake to cool at least 10 minutes in the pan and then invert into a wired rack to cool completely before frosting.
- Frost with my homemade whipped cream cheese frosting and enjoy!
Baked this last night for the first time and will definitely be making it again!!
Wooooohooo! So glad you liked it! Thank you so much for the 5 star rating!
I made this cake for my Mahjong group and it was an instant hit. Thank you
Wohoo! I hope you won! I am such a mahjong beginner but its fun!
This cake is a new family favorite! The recipe was easy to follow and the pictures are beautiful. I wanted a cake that was light and fluffy and not a dense banana bread. I have made recipes in the past that promised to be cake but were so wet/dense that they were inedible. I made this cake in two 9 inch rounds and then used your recipe for brown sugar buttercream. The combination was amazing!
Thank you SO much Ashley!!!! YAY so glad you and the whole family love it! So smart to make it in 2 round pans, I have to try it! The brown sugar buttercream sounds like such a good move! Thanks so much for the 5 star rating!
Hello and thank you for the recipe! I made the cake as directed to the T unfortunately it came out a tad dry. I definitely want to try it again. Would it be safe to add a few tablespoons more of vegetable oil next time?
Thank you so much for your imput!
Hi Gayle! You can definitely try, but I would also make sure you watch the bake time too. Everyones ovens are different and can also have hot spots- so I would try baking a couple minutes less next time.
I used your banana cake recipe for the first time tonight and did cupcakes. Fab having the oil option given the price of butter in NZ. They were brilliant. Light, fluffy and super tasty. Will definitely use this recipe again. Keen to try other combinations / variations with the simple ingredient batter. What would work? any ideas? Thanks again for the simple but awesome recipe.
YAY! Thank you so much for making this! Cupcakes sounds like such a fun idea. I also just worked on bakery style banana muffins the other day and those are SO good too! I would try adding in some chocolate chips, or some blueberries!
Awesome will try blueberries😊
Cant wait to hear about them!
Made this cake today, didn’t do the cream cheese frosting. I went with a lazy daisy topping instead. Turned out really well. Only thing different was exchanging the coconut for rolled oats as my son is allergic to coconut and I am not a huge coconut fan myself.
Thanks for making this banana cake Jackie! Glad to know it worked out well for you.
I was short of flour and in a hurry, so used 1/4 cup of bran. Also added 1/4 cup chopped walnuts. Sprinkled top with icing sugar instead of cream cheese icing.
Thanks for making this Lilah!
Can I use raw sugar instead of granulated sugar
I havent tried it but if you do please let me know how it comes out!
I will be trying your recipe this week for our son’s birthday. Would the same measurements work in a Bundt pan?
Hi Elizabeth, happy birthday to your son! The same measurements will work, but it might take a bit longer to bake, I would check after 40 minutes but it could take up till 55.
Hi sam tx for the recipe. Can I just put everything in blender?
Hmm I wouldnt because it would make everything too finely ground and might not bake up the same way.
Super good recipe ! Turned out very moist with rmtender crumb . Will absolutely make it again and again
AHhh this is the best! Thank you so much for making this and letting me know how you liked it! So appreciate the 5 star rating!
Delicious recipe!
Thank you so much Ruth!
Hi Sam. I made this recipe today as a trial run for a funeral coming up at my Church. I was a bit disappointed at how shallow in Hight it turned out . [ Although looking at your lovely photos later I realized yours isn’t overly high either] Next time I make it I will 1 and 1/2 times the recipe and adjust the cooking time. But I must admit to a slight woops on my part, I took out of my freezer what I thought was frozen mashed bananas but it was frozen Feijoas instead. Same color. I drained the juice and weighed them as for bananas and the cake was delicious As others have said , moist and very easy to prepare. Did chocolate icing Thank you. Jean
Hi Jean, My sincerest condolences on your loss, sending lots of love your way. Thank you so much for letting me know- yes the cake isnt very high, so I think making extra is a good idea. You probably also could double it to make it easier. Glad to know it worked even with the mistake. Thank you so much for the 5 star rating.
Best banana cake I’ve made! Fluffy and soft and perfect.
AHHH omg what a compliment! Thank you so much Margaret for the 5 stars and this comment!
I made this today . It is so moist and very delicious a very easy recipe . 100 stars
So glad, this really is such a moist cake! Thank you soo much!!!!
This is good. I just made it this afternoon and had a generous piece while it was still warm, my husband did too. It was good and so easy to put together. 5* for sure.
Thank you so much Trudie, so glad you both loved it!
Substituted half a cup of applesauce for half of the oil (because our apples trees are crazy) everyone loved it. We decided a light glaze or sprinkle of powdered sugar would have been sufficient topping for us. Definitely a keeper.
YAY, wohoo! So great to know this works with an applesauce substitute for the oil. Such a smart way to use up all your apples. Thanks Patty!
Thank you for this recipe. My family loved it! I had to reduce the sugar though.
Hi Teddy, Im so glad you loved it!
This recipe was great! Would it be ok to substitute the vegetable oil with olive oil? I’m not sure how healthy vegetable oil is
Hi Jessica! I wouldnt swap with olive oil because it has too much of a fruity taste but I would use avocado oil instead!
In an effort to save money on butter (expensive here in New Zealand even though we make/export so much), I was looking for a recipe using oil. This one is so good, moist and turned out perfectly. I did have to cook it for slightly longer, but eveyone’s oven is different. I have just made another with slightly less sugar and added a few chocolate drops. This will now be my go to banana cake recipe. I’m sure you could add in a few chia seeds or walnuts without the recipe going awry. Thank you.
I’m so happy to hear this Linzi! So glad you found a new go to, yay! Thank you so much for letting me know, enjoy every bite!
thanks so much for this yummy recipe im now t he queen of the banana cake I give the receipe with the cake to my friends and the kids yum yum yum
Queen Maureen! It even rhymes-you are officialy the queen of this banana cake! Thank you so much for making and sharing this recipe!
This cake is amazing!! It felt too easy and I thought the cook would be too short. But nope! I was soo wrong!!!
Absolutely perfect! Great banana flavour, it’s super moist, texture is spot on!
I will keep this on the rotation and tell others they need to give this a go!
Thank you so much Jo! so glad you love this easy banana cake!!!
Yummy! Some of us like it better than banana bread. ^_^
(Next time I.ll try adding nuts or oatmeal, and use only 1 C of sugar.)
Sounds delicious! I like it better than banana bread too haha!
Hey Sam, I usually make a banana bread but I’m anxious to make this banana cake. My question is can I substitute EVOO for the vegetable oil? And do you have any other topping suggestions in place of cream cheese, something with cinnamon?
Hi Brenda!I wouldnt substitute with olive oil because it can change the taste of the cake. If you dont want to use vegetable oil I would use avocado oil instead. I hope that helps!
This cake is amazing! Fluffy and the perfect amount of sweet. We didnt even need icing. Great recipe for using up ripe bananas.
Amazing!Thanks so much for making this and the rating Beverly!
I have it in the oven and I am using coconut oil. The better looked good so fingers crossed. Thank you for this recipe!
Thank you so much for making this Sammie! How was it?
I have made it three times and it is the best banana cake of all time. But coconut oil melted is my extra trick! 🙂 You are awesome!
THREE times!! You are my kind of baker!! Ooh coconut oil sounds like such an amazing addition, I might have to try that myself!! Thank you so much for sharing your secret trick and for the sweetest comment!!
Had a bunch of really ripe bananas and wanted something lighter than banana bread. This was perfect. And if anyone is curious – I watch my bad fat and cholesterol – so I used an egg substitute and I made your no butter cream cheese frosting with low-fat cream cheese. As my grandma used to say, they won’t know if you don’t tell them.
So glad Sara! Thanks so much for making this, Im sure it was still delicious!
This recipe is absolutely amazing! I didn’t change a thing! I had 4 medium bananas that I added. I will definitely be making this again and sharing with my co-workers!
Yay!! This makes me so happy to hear! Your coworkers are SO lucky!! Thank you for the kind review!
Yes so easy and fast. I added feijoas as well to mine,came out yum.Thank you for sharing.Its definitely a cake I would make often
Thank you!!
Excellent recipe. Makes a lovely large cake, perfect for my GBB bake and drop tomorrow. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much Michelle, so appreciate the 5 star rating!