Spiced Banana Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting
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Spiced Banana Cake is one of my favorite ways to use up ripe bananas when I want something a little more special than banana bread. The cake layers stay soft and moist from the bananas and oil while the cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice give it that warm cozy flavor that works year-round. The honey peanut butter cream cheese frosting makes it rich, creamy, and just salty enough to balance the sweetness.
If you love banana desserts, this cake feels like the perfect mix between banana bread and a classic layered cake.
Warm Spices, Banana Cake, and the Best Frosting
I love banana bread and make my protein banana bread almost every week, so turning those flavors into a cake made complete sense. Banana, peanut butter, and honey together is already one of my favorite combinations, and this cake takes that whole thing to another level. It has soft spiced banana cake layers with a honey peanut butter cream cheese frosting that honestly feels like a dream come true in cake form.
Why You’ll Love Spiced Banana Cake
- Soft and moist banana cake layers
- Warm cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice flavor
- Honey peanut butter cream cheese frosting
- Great way to use ripe bananas
- Easy layered cake recipe
- Perfect for birthdays, holidays, or weekend baking
- Rich without being overly sweet
What Is Spiced Banana Cake?
Spiced Banana Cake is a soft banana cake made with ripe bananas and warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. It has similar flavors to banana bread but with a softer cake texture that works well for layered cakes and cream cheese frosting.
Ingredients Needed To Make Spiced Banana Cake
- Eggs: Help create structure and give the cake a soft texture.
- Granulated and Brown Sugar: The combination adds sweetness while the brown sugar brings extra moisture and flavor.
- Vegtable Oil: Keeps the cake soft and moist for days.
- Vanilla Extract: Adds warm flavor throughout the cake.
- Ripe Bananas: Use bananas with brown spots for the best sweetness and banana flavor.
- Flour: Creates the structure for the cake layers.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness and spices.
- Baking Soda & Baking Powder: Help the cake rise properly.
- Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Allspice: Give the cake its warm spiced flavor.
Ingredients Needed To Make Honey Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
- Creamy Peanut Butter: Creates the rich peanut butter flavor throughout the frosting.
- Cream Cheese: Adds tangy flavor and balances the sweetness.
- Butter: Helps create a smooth creamy frosting texture.
- Honey: Pairs perfectly with the peanut butter and adds flavor depth.
- Powdered Sugar: Sweetens and thickens the frosting.
- Milk: Helps loosen the frosting if needed.
How To Make Spiced Banana Cake
Prepare the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 8-inch round cake pans with nonstick baking spray and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs, granulated sugar, and brown sugar.
- Mix for about 3–5 minutes until slightly lighter in color and a little frothy.
- Add the vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and mashed bananas. Mix until fully combined.
- Add the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.
- Mix until just combined. Do not overmix the batter.
- Divide the batter evenly between both prepared cake pans.
- Bake for 35–45 minutes, or until the tops are lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow the cakes to cool completely before frosting.
Prepare the frosting and assemble:
- In a large mixing bowl, add the peanut butter, cream cheese, butter, vanilla extract, honey, milk, and cinnamon.
- Mix until smooth and creamy.
- Gradually add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, until the frosting reaches your desired consistency.
- If desired, carefully slice each cake layer in half horizontally to create four thinner cake layers.
- Spread frosting evenly between each layer and frost the outside of the cake as desired.
- Top with chopped peanuts if desired before serving.
Tips for the Best Spiced Banana Cake
- Use very ripe bananas for the best flavor
- Do not overmix the batter once the flour is added
- Cool the cake completely before frosting
- Add powdered sugar gradually to control frosting thickness
- Use room temperature cream cheese and butter for smoother frosting
- Chill the cake slightly before slicing for cleaner layers
Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
- Store the frosted cake covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Let slices sit at room temperature for about 15–20 minutes before serving for the best texture.
- The cake layers can be baked a day ahead and wrapped tightly before frosting.
- Unfrosted cake layers can also be frozen for up to 2 months.
Spiced Banana Cake
Equipment
- Two 8-inch round cake pans
Ingredients
Spiced Banana Cake
- 3 eggs (room temperature)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 medium bananas)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (or 1:1 gluten-free flour)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp allspice
Honey Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 cup of creamy peanut butter
- 8 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)
- 1/2 cup butter (room temperature)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 4-5 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 8-inch cake pans with nonstick baking spray.
- In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, granulated sugar, and brown sugar for 3–5 minutes until slightly frothy.
- Add the vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and mashed bananas. Mix until combined.
- Add the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Mix until just combined.
- Divide the batter evenly between both prepared cake pans.
- Bake for 35–45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow the cakes to cool completely before frosting.
Before You Start: Use room-temperature cream cheese and butter for the smoothest frosting. Very ripe bananas with brown spots will also give the cake the best flavor and moisture.
Frosting:
- For the frosting, add the peanut butter, cream cheese, butter, vanilla extract, honey, milk, and cinnamon to a large bowl. Mix until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed so everything mixes evenly.
- Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time until the frosting reaches your desired consistency.
- Frost the cake layers and outside of the cake as desired.
Notes
- Use very ripe bananas for the best banana flavor.
- Do not overmix the batter after adding the flour.
- Depending on the peanut butter brand used, additional powdered sugar may be needed to thicken the frosting.
- For cleaner cake slices, chill the cake for 20–30 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Thawed frozen bananas work well in this recipe. Drain off any extra liquid before adding them to the batter so the cake does not turn too wet or dense.
Use very ripe bananas with brown spots. They are sweeter, softer, and give the cake stronger banana flavor than yellow bananas.
The cake layers can be baked a day ahead and frosted the next day. Let them cool completely, then wrap them tightly until ready to assemble.
This batter can be used for cupcakes. Fill the liners about two-thirds full and bake at 350 degrees for 18–22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cream cheese frosting, chocolate frosting, or vanilla frosting all work well with spiced banana cake. The honey peanut butter cream cheese frosting gives it the richest banana-and-peanut-butter flavor.
Banana cake can turn dense if the batter is overmixed after the flour is added or if too much banana/liquid is used. Mix just until combined and drain thawed frozen bananas before using.
Spiced banana cake is usually made with cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. These warm spices pair well with ripe bananas and help give the cake its cozy flavor.
I made this spiced banana cake with peanut butter cream cheese frosting… delish!!!!!!! My husband and i just had a piece of this and seriously fighting off sharing another slice!
I LOVE THIS!!
Hi. Did you cut each cake in half to get the 4 layers?
Yes 🙂 you may cut each circle in the middle to create thin layers
The frosting ingredients call for room temperature butter, but the instructions don’t mention adding the butter??
Hi Tracy, The butter is in the frosting instructions. It is added with all the other ingredients
Really easy and OMG sooo good!!
So happy you loved them!!
if you make it a two layer cake instead of four should I cut the recipe for the frosting in half?
Yes, If you are cutting the cake recipe in half, you can reduce the frosting amount
Great cake , so easy to make , budget friendly ( no butter in a cake ,only frosting ) I did not put any butter in it and frosting is delish ! Highly recommended! Definitely making it again ! Thank you , Danielle!
Thank you Larisa!
Can I use all purpose flur versus the gluten free this lists?
Absolutely! Without any modifications
Delicious