Banana Walnut Cake

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Banana walnut cake is a great snack cake that is rich, moist, and flavorful. The roasted bananas add a touch of sweetness, the toasted walnuts add a hint of nuttiness while the browned butter in the cream cheese frosting gives this extra oomph.

This snack cake is rich, moist, and flavorful. The roasted bananas add a touch of sweetness, while the browned butter in the cream cheese frosting gives this extra oomph.

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This banana walnut cake is the kind of simple snack cake that feels just a little special.

The bananas are roasted with brown sugar and butter until caramelized, which deepens their flavor and adds natural sweetness. Toasted walnuts bring warmth and texture, and the browned butter cream cheese frosting ties everything together.

It’s rich but not fussy. Perfect for an afternoon treat, a casual gathering, or the kind of dessert you keep on the counter and slice throughout the day.

How this recipe fits into your life:

• A step up from banana bread – If you have ripe bananas but want something a little more celebratory than banana bread, this cake is an easy upgrade.
• Make-ahead friendly – Bake it the day before you need it — it stays moist and flavorful, and the frosting holds up beautifully.
• Perfect for casual gatherings – It’s baked in a 9×13 pan, which means no layering, no stacking, and no stress.

How to make roasted banana cake

This cake is fun to make, and fairly simple. For the full recipe, please scroll down to the recipe card below, but here is a general method of how to bake this cake:

Start by roasting sliced bananas with butter and brown sugar until caramelized. Let them cool while you prepare the batter.

Toast the walnuts until fragrant, then chop — some finely for the batter and some more roughly for topping.

Whisk together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add the eggs. Stir in the roasted bananas and buttermilk, followed by the dry ingredients and finely chopped walnuts.

Spread the batter into a 9×13 pan and bake until set. Cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting, brown the butter until golden and nutty, then beat it with cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Spread over the cooled cake and sprinkle with walnuts.

Jenni – The Gingered Whisk

Banana Walnut Cake

5 from 7 votes

This snack cake is rich, moist, and flavorful. The roasted bananas add a touch of sweetness, while the browned butter in the cream cheese frosting gives this extra oomph.

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 55 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

Servings: 12 Servings

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Calories: 582

Ingredients Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients

  

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Roasted Bananas

• 3 medium bananas
• ⅓ cup brown sugar packed
• 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter

Cake

• 2 cups walnut halves
• 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup buttermilk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ½ cup unsalted butter softened
• 1 ¼ cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• baking spray with flour

Frosting:

• ¼ cup butter
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• ⅓ cup cream cheese softened

Method

 

1. Preheat the oven to 400 Degrees.
2. In an 8" square baking dish, toss together the sliced bananas, 1 TBSP butter chunks and brown sugar.
3. Roast for 35 minutes, stirring after 17 minutes.
4. Cool slightly.
5. Reduce the oven temperature to 350.
6. Place the walnut halves on a rimmed baking sheet and toast for 8 minutes. You will be able to smell them when they are done. Let cool.
7. When the toasted walnuts are cool, finely chop some until you get 1 cup of chopped nuts and rough chop the remainder for on top of the cake. Set aside.
8. Preheat the oven to 375 F.
9. Spray a 9×13 cake pan with baking spray and set aside.
10. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
11. In another medium mixing bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, cooled banana mixture, and vanilla extract.
12. Place 1/2 cup butter and the sugar in a large bowl, beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes.
13. Add eggs to the sugar mixture and mix well.
14. Add half the flour mixture to the batter and mix until just combined.
15. Add the banana mixture to the batter and mix to combine.
16. Add the remaining flour mixture and the finely chopped walnuts and mix until just combined.
17. Pour the batter into the prepared 9×13 cake pan.
18. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
19. Cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
20. To prepare the frosting, melt the 1/4 cup butter in a small saucepan over medium-heat, cooking slowly for 4 minutes or until it becomes lightly browned (watch it, it will burn fast!)
21. Cool the butter slightly.
22. Combine the browned butter, powdered sugar, cream cheese and vanilla in a medium bowl and beat with a mixer until smooth.
23. Spread the frosting over the cooled bars and sprinkle the tops with the toasted walnuts.
24. Enjoy!!! 🙂

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 582kcalCarbohydrates: 80gProtein: 8gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 71mgSodium: 264mgFiber: 3gSugar: 48g

Nutrition information is provided as a general estimate and may vary based on ingredients, brands, and substitutions. For specific dietary needs, we recommend calculating nutrition using your preferred tool.

Notes

Store cake covered on the counter for up to 3 days.

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