This easy one bowl moist banana cake recipe with oil is quick and delicious. Light and airy vanilla cake loaded with ripe bananas topped with a creamy vanilla buttercream. This recipe is made with oil not butter meaning it can be made in one bowl with no mixer needed. This cake is very similar to classic banana bread, everyone will love it!
Highlights of this moist banana cake recipe:
- Moist cake
- Made with simple ingredients
- Great with buttercream or cream cheese frosting
- Light & airy
- Similar to banana bread or banana muffins
- Full of banana flavor
- Simple chocolate frosting
- Easy cake recipe
- Bakes quickly in an 8? x 8? pan
- Oil based, no mixer needed
- Perfect use for overripe bananas or extra bananas
First Steps:
- Combine oil, sugar, vanilla, and eggs
- Whisk to combine
- Add in milk
- Mash bananas
- Mix to combine
Tools I used for this easy oil based banana cake with vanilla frosting recipe:
- KitchenAid 6 Qt. Stand Mixer – I always recommend a stand mixer as it saves time and helps to keep baked goods consistent.
- Rubber Spatula – a must for any home baker! Perfect for scrapping batter out of the mixing bowl.
- USA Pan 8×8 Square Pan – another USA Pan product I love! The corners of my bars and cakes never stick and I love the squared of edges this pan creates.
- Pyrex Mixing Bowl Set – I love this set of nesting bowls.
This is one of the moistest cake recipes, perfect for special occasions or as a fun weekend bake! Similar to a quick bread this cake has moist crumbs and the center of the cake is light, not dense! You could also use olive oil and make this into a banana olive oil cake!
Grocery store list for this easy one-bowl cake:
- All-purpose flour
- Kosher Salt
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Vegetable oil (canola oil)
- Whole large eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Mashed ripe bananas
- Milk (can substitute a non-dairy milk like almond milk or oat milk)
- Granulated white cane sugar
- Heavy whipping cream
- Confectioners or icing sugar
If you like this chocolate banana cake, you’ll love these other easy recipes….
Egg Nog Coffee Cake with Brown Sugar Crumble
Cinnamon Snacking Cake with Maple Frosting
Chocolate Loaf Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Chocolate Snacking Cake with Peanut Butter Buttercream
Final Steps:
- Combine dry ingredients
- Add dry ingredients to the wet directions
- Pour batter into baking dish
- Bake until golden brown
What is the difference between banana bread and banana cake?
Banana bread is firmer and more dense, great for slicing. Banana cake is lighter and more airy, banana bread is typically butter based while this banana cake is oil based.
What can I add to make my cake moist?
Adding bananas to this cake ensures it stays light and moist, while still staying airy and not too dense. The bananas not only add moisture but add a nice sweetness.
Allow the banana cake to cool completely, dollop frosting on top of the cake, frost, slice, and enjoy! The cake will stay fresh for 2-3 days in an airtight container! Leftover buttercream can be stored in the fridge for up to a week. Top this frosted banana cake with shredded coconut, banana chips, or chocolate chips!
Instructions Easy One Bowl Moist Banana Cake Recipe with Oil:
For the Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and line a 8″x8″ baking pan, set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, combine and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together the oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla extract until smooth. Gently whisk in the milk. Fold in the mashed banana. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mix until smooth. Transfer the batter into the prepared baking pan.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 28-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
For the Buttercream:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy, 4-5 minutes.
- Add about half of the powdered sugar, beat on low until fully incorporated. Add in the remaining powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed again just until the powdered sugar is incorporated.
- Add in the heavy cream and mix on low again until smooth. Spread the buttercream over the cooled banana cake.
Easy One Bowl Moist Banana Cake Recipe with Oil
Equipment
- 8"x8" pan
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 1 1/4 cup All-purpose flour
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- 1 tsp Baking soda
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/2 cup Canola oil or vegetable oil
- 1 cup Granulated sugar
- 2 Eggs, room temperature
- 1 tbsp Vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup Milk, can substitute a non-dairy milk like Almond milk
- 2 large Ripe bananas, mashed
For the Vanilla Buttercream:
- 1/2 cup Unsalted butter, softened
- 3-4 cups Powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 tbsp Vanilla extract
- 4 tbsp Heavy cream
Instructions
For the Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and line a 8"x8" baking pan, set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, combine and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together the oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla extract until smooth. Gently whisk in the milk. Fold in the mashed banana. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mix until smooth. Transfer the batter into the prepared baking pan.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 28-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
For the Buttercream:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy, 4-5 minutes.
- Add about half of the powdered sugar, beat on low until fully incorporated. Add in the remaining powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed again just until the powdered sugar is incorporated.
- Add in the heavy cream and mix on low again until smooth. Spread the buttercream over the cooled banana cake.
Nutrition
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