My Banana Poppy Seed Cake with Vanilla Bean Frosting is a little one bowl banana snack cake that makes everybody happy!
A handful of everyday ingredients pulls together to make a really special cake…I’m not sure if it’s the ripe bananas, the crunchy poppy seeds, the sour cream in the batter, or that frosting with a virtual galaxy of vanilla bean specs. But in the end, does it really matter? This cake is perfect, that’s all we need to know.
banana poppy seed cake ingredient notes
bananas
- Don’t let anyone tell you you must have a blackened banana to make this cake. I’ve used bananas straight from the supermarket and that’s fine. Firm bananas have a different flavor profile from over-ripe ones, but both will work.
poppy seeds
- Poppy seeds not only make this little cake pretty, they add crunch and nutty flavor. Poppy seeds, like all seeds, can go rancid if stored too long, so give your jar a sniff and make sure yours are fresh. If you’ve had yours for a year or more, time to replace.
sour cream
- Makes a moist tender cake.
vanilla bean
- Vanilla beans are expensive, but you can also use vanilla bean paste, which is one of my favorite new discoveries. It gives you that same flavor and beautiful specs at a much lower cost. The heavy vanilla presence in this frosting really makes a difference, and extract just doesn’t cut it.
- Don’t waste your bean ~ after scraping the seeds for this cake, pop the pod into your canister of sugar. It will flavor the sugar for months to come.
take note…
This banana poppy seed cake is on the small side. I could have called it banana poppy seed bars, or blondies. But the frosting sealed the deal, it’s definitely a cake, just a small one.
Of course you could double the recipe and made this grand layer cake, but I like it this way, it’s more approachable, more snackable. And I could never eat a layer cake for breakfast 😉
banana poppy seed cake comment highlights
I know this is going to become your favorite…
Some like to roast their bananas first for extra flavor and sweetness (roast ~ peel on ~ in a 400F oven for 15-20 minutes.)
One reader made the snack cake into muffins.
One used applesauce in place of the egg, another substituted egg whites.
Several of you skipped the frosting altogether and love this cake as is.
Chris emailed me to let me know this recipe was her most successful bake sale item ever!
Bridget bakes it in a loaf pan, and says it is her “go to banana bread.”
I’ve gone bananas!
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Banana Poppy Seed Cake with Vanilla Bean Frosting
Equipment
- 9×9 square baking pan
Ingredients
the cake
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 large egg
- 2 ripe bananas, mashed
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup poppy seeds
- 1 cup AP flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
the vanilla bean frosting
- 3 to 4 ounces brick style cream cheese
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
- 2 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
- milk or cream for thinning the icing
- a squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and butter your pan. I like to line with a sling of parchment paper so I can remove the cake for frosting and serving, but that's optional.
- Cream the butter, sugar and sour cream together. Beat in the egg, bananas, vanilla, and poppy seeds. (Make sure the bananas are mashed smooth first)
- Sift your flour, baking soda and salt into the wet mixture and blend just until thoroughly combined ~ but don't over mix.
- Spread the batter into your prepared baking pan.
- Bake for about 25 minutes until a toothpick just comes out clean.*
- Let the cake cool before frosting.
- To make the frosting— blend everything together until you have a thick, creamy, spreadable consistency. Taste to adjust your lemon juice. Note: I do this quick and easy in my food processor. This way you can start with cold cream cheese!
- Heap onto the completely cooled banana cake and swirl it around thickly.
Notes
Nutrition
How much vanilla bean paste would you use to replace the seeds of 1 vanilla bean?
About a teaspoon, Cheryl.
Do you think I could use a 9inch round pan? Thanks!
Yes, sure, Amanda, just check it carefully as it’s baking.
I know this is a crazy question on a cake recipe, two years after you posted it, but do you have any idea what removing the sugar would do to the cake? Ripe bananas are so sweet already, so it’s more the texture than the flavor that I’m concerned about. Thanks!
Gosh, you’ve got me there, Max. I think that’s a baking ‘chemistry’ question, and I don’t know. But now you’ve got me interested and I’m going to research it!
Just wondering if anyone has tried making this without the egg? (Egg allergy)
It seems like it could be made without, just not sure.
You could certainly try it, Bonnie, maybe use just a little more banana to replace it.
You can use flex seed meal for egg substitute. Look on the bag.
Hi !
Wow, this cake look lovely !
How thick is the cake ? I made this today (using a different recipe) but the cake was only just over an inch thick 🙁
Also, I am in England. Would it be possible for you to include Imperial measurements in your recipes ?
Thanks 🙂
Thanks, Andy — this cake is about 2 – 2 1/2 inches, as I remember. I would very much like to include universal measurements in my recipes, at least for the basic ingredients like butter and flour. As for the other things, it would be pretty difficult to convert everything, but I like the idea and I’ll give it some thought!
This cake was awesome! The only problem is that it’s kind of small! 🙂 I am not a banana fan per se, but this was really addictive. The frosting and the cake were a perfect combo. So much so that I didn’t mind walking around with seeds in my teeth! I had a lot of extra frosting, so I’m making another one today. Your blog is one of the best. I literally want to make everything I see on here. Thanks for sharing!
My gosh, that looks delicious! I’m rather excited to see my bananas get ripe now 🙂
finally, poppy seeds get to mingle with a fruit other than lemon! 🙂
Oh boy, what a simple cake. I can almost taste how good this one is. The frosting is what I would love to have a spoonful of.
poppy seed is one of my all time favorite breads- now you go making it beyond extraordinary by adding in banana! i love it- more importantly I love the icing on top! LOL!