Moist Southern Banana Cake (Printable)

A moist Southern cake featuring ripe bananas, crushed pineapple, toasted pecans, and cream cheese frosting.

# What You Need:

→ Cake

01 - 3 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 2 cups granulated sugar
03 - 1 tsp baking soda
04 - 1 tsp ground cinnamon
05 - ½ tsp salt
06 - 3 large eggs, room temperature
07 - 1 cup vegetable oil
08 - 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
09 - 1 cup toasted pecans, chopped
10 - 2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 bananas)
11 - 1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple, undrained

→ Cream Cheese Frosting

12 - 8 oz cream cheese, softened
13 - ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
14 - 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
15 - 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
16 - Pinch of salt

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour three 8-inch round cake pans or line them with parchment paper.
02 - In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
03 - In a separate bowl, beat eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract until well blended.
04 - Fold mashed bananas, crushed pineapple with juice, and chopped toasted pecans into the wet mixture.
05 - Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix gently until just combined, taking care not to overmix.
06 - Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans.
07 - Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
08 - Allow cakes to cool in pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
09 - Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy.
10 - Gradually add powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt, beating until light and spreadable.
11 - Spread frosting between cake layers and cover the top and sides evenly.
12 - Decorate the cake with additional toasted pecans.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It's impossibly moist—those bananas and pineapple juice work magic together, and you don't have to fuss with simple syrup.
  • Three layers mean you actually feel like you've accomplished something real in the kitchen, and it looks showstopping without demanding fussiness.
  • The cream cheese frosting tastes like a reward for every step, and honestly, it's forgiving enough that you won't panic if your layers aren't perfectly level.
02 -
  • Don't skip toasting the pecans yourself—raw or stale pecans from the back of the pantry taste like nothing, but toasted pecans taste like the reason you made this cake.
  • Mashing the bananas properly matters more than you'd think; if there are chunks, they won't distribute their moisture evenly and you'll end up with dry spots.
  • The frosting needs softened butter and cream cheese, not cold ones—if they're not soft, your frosting will be lumpy and heartbreaking.
03 -
  • Use room-temperature ingredients for the frosting—it makes the difference between something silky and something grainy, and this frosting deserves to be silky.
  • If the cake is slightly domed on top after baking, let it cool completely, then use a serrated knife to gently level each layer before stacking; it makes frosting much easier and your layers actually sit flush.
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