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
Made this and my husband said it was a new favourite!!!! Love this cake! Thank you for sharing.
Yay!! 🙂
This looks delicious! Love anything with poppyseeds. can’t wait to try it out!
My almost 7-year-old and I are excited to make this for her birthday cake, as a double layer with chocolate zucchini being the second layer! Would I need to double the recipe to make it into a 9×13″ cake? Has anyone had luck in doing so? What would the bake time be for that? Thanks!
Wow, your 7 year old has a sophisticated palate!! I think you can double this recipe for the larger pan, but I’m not sure how much longer you’d need to bake it, you’ll have to pay close attention to that and check with a toothpick.
Curious- What is the reliance of the “3” before the 4oz of cream cheese? You have “(about half the 8 oz package)” which would be 4 oz. The three would indicate you need a total of12 oz or you are trying to say 3/4?? Thank you. Btw, the banana poppyseed is in the oven as I type. Can’t wait to try!
Hey Melissa, I changed it to clarify, it’s 3 to 4 ounces. Hope you like it!
Best banana cake ever omg? This recipe is a révélation! First time i used vanilla beans and its totaly worth it! Thanks à lot for creating my latest obsession 😉
I’m so happy I could give you a new obsession, Justine :))) Not to be an enabler, or anything, but I have LOTS more great banana cake and bread recipes on the blog…
Hi, this looks wonderful, and just what I’m looking for to send my mother for a more personal touch to her Mothers Day gift! However, this is the first time I’ve lived so far away, so I’ve never sent any food before, and it would be more than I could afford to overnight it. So my questions are; firstly, does it need to be refrigerated? And if not, would it last 2-3 days (in mostly cold temperatures) to make the trip? Any advice would be greatly appreciated, I’m having a bit of trouble with general searches on the matter. Thank you!
The problem is that this is a frosted cake, Adriann, and that’s never the best choice for shipping, unless you’ve got fabulous packaging and plan to ship it super quickly. In this case I really think cookies, or shortbread, would be a much better choice…sorry! I think it’s such a sweet idea!
Mmm this looks super tasty!
hi! this looks delicious and would be perfect for my twins who celebrate their 4th birthday on Easter. I am just wondering if you have ever made cupcakes using this recipe? if so, what adjustments did you make, if any? thanks so much!
I haven’t Amy. I’m sure you could, but it has the texture of a moist dense bread rather than a fluffy cake, if that makes sense. I think it would work, though, as long as you watch the cooking time.
What other fruits could you use in place of bananas? Could you use blueberries or strawberries instead, and if so how many?
Well, the banana is mashed, so I wouldn’t advise replacing it with those other fruits, Monique.
Just had to tell you, this is the best recipe. I use it as my “Go To” for banana bread. The cake is awesome! I just omit the frosting when I bake it in a loaf. Love it! I like that it has barely any butter or sugar. I was out of eggs but had a few whites left from another dish, turned out great. Thanks for the recipe. Super easy. I think I’ve made it 4 times since finding the recipe this month.
I never thought of doing it that way, thanks Bridget!