Old Fashioned Banana Cake

Old Fashioned Banana Cake recipe from scratch.

This is an adaptation of an old recipe Mama made often when I was growing up in the 1930s - 1950s.

She baked a large layer of cake, split it in half, fill it with mashed bananas and sugar, the way most folks did.

She served it warm.

It was delicious!

I added sliced bananas, with no sugar added, between the layers for a moist cake full of fresh, banana flavor and added a delicious frosting which is optional.

Old Fashioned Banana
Cake Recipe

• 2 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
  
  
• 2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
  
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  
  
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
  
  
• 1 cup white granulated sugar
  
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
  
• 3 large eggs
  
  
• 1 cup mashed bananas (about 2 large, in addition to bananas listed below for filling)
  
  
• 1/2 cup whole buttermilk
  
  
• 1/2 cup broken pecan pieces
  
  

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda into a small bowl.

Set aside.

Cream butter on medium speed.

Slowly add sugar and cream together until very light.

Stir in vanilla extract.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating on high speed after each egg until light and mixed well.

Mash bananas in a small bowl. Stir in the buttermilk.

Fold in flour and banana mixture into batter, starting and ending with flour.


Beat on medium speed about 30 seconds.

Scrape sides and bottom of bowl and beat another 30 seconds.

Do not over beat.

Fold in pecan pieces.

Pour into three 8" prepared (greased, lined with parchment paper, greased and dusted with flour) cake pans.

Bake in a preheated oven 350F. for about 23-28 minutes until cake test done in center.

Do not over bake.

Remove from oven and let cool in pans for 5 minutes.

Run a knife around edges and turn out onto a rack to cool completely before frosting.

With a moist like this Old Fashioned Banana Cake, place a clean linen or pastry cloth over the cooling rack.

Dust the cloth generously with powdered sugar to prevent the cake from sticking to the rack.

Whipped Cream Frosting

• 1 pint cold heavy whipping cream whipped
  
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
  
• 1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar
  
  
• Additional bananas (about 4 large), sliced to place between layers
  
  

Whip cream on high speed until soft peak form.

Stir in vanilla.

Add sugar, a little at a time until all is creamed together to a spreading consistency.

Place one layer of cake with the top side down on a cake plate or server.

Place sliced bananas on top.

Cover with the frosting.

Place the second and third layer of cake on with the top sides up, placing the sliced bananas and Whipped Frosting on the second layer as you did the first layer.

Make sure your bananas are covered with the Whipped Topping around the sides of cake.

This will prevent your bananas from turning dark/black on your cake.

Place in refrigerator 2-3 hours to chill before serving.

Cake is best if used within 1-3 days.

Old Fashioned Banana Cake
Serving Suggestions

Awesome served with Vanilla or Butter Pecan Ice Cream.

May be served with additional Homemade Whipped Cream.

Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting instead of Whipped Cream.

You can combine the Cream Cheese Frosting with some of the whipped cream for a creamier frosting/topping.

Old Banana Cake Recipe

This Old Banana Cake Recipe dates back to 1931.

It contains bananas in the cake, the filling and on the topping.

• 1/2 cups shortening
  
  
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
  
  
• 2 eggs, well beaten
  
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
  

• 2 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
  
  

• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  
  

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
  
• 1/3 cup sour milk*
  
  
• 1 cup mashed bananas

Cream shortening and gradually add the sugar. 

Stir in well beaten eggs.

Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Alternately, add the flour and sour milk starting and ending with the flour. 

Pour the batter evenly in two 8" cake pans that have been greased and sprinkled lightly with flour on bottoms and sides.

Bake 25-30 minutes until tests done in the center when probed with a fork or toothpick.

When tests done remove pans from oven. 

Let cool in pan 5-10 minutes. 

Then run a knife around edges of cakes to loosen.

Turn cake layers out, upside down onto a cooling rack and cool thoroughly before frosting.

How To Make Sour Milk

Sour milk for cooking is not your regular milk that has spoiled and will make you sick if you consume it.

It is milk that has been acidified.

To make sour milk for this recipe measure out the regular milk and let it come to room temperature. 

Then stir together until smooth;

• 1/3 cup whole milk
  
  

• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice

Top each layer with sliced bananas and frost with any of the above suggestions.

Related Pages

Banana Cake  With Penuche Frosting

Banana Fruit Cake Rcipe

Easy Banana Bread

Return to Old Fashioned Cake Recipes


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