Banana Cake with Spiced Mascarpone Frosting
This moist banana cake is made with ripe bananas, buttermilk, and a hint of cardamom, then topped with a lightly spiced vanilla mascarpone frosting.
Servings: 12
Video
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
- 1 tsp cardamom
- 2 ripe bananas, mashed, about 1 cup
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
spiced frosting
- 6 Tbsp butter, at room temperature
- 6 oz mascarpone cheese (you can substitute room temperature cream cheese)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 1/8 tsp cinnamon
- 3 cups confectioner's sugar, or more as needed for correct texture.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F. Grease a 9 inch round springform pan (the cake is tall, you will need high sides.)
- Cream the butter and sugar in a stand mixer, or by hand. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Beat in the vanilla and cardamom.
- Mash the bananas until smooth, and add the lemon juice. Blend in to the butter and sugar mixture, and don't worry if it looks curdled.
- Whisk the flour with the salt and baking soda, and add to the bowl alternately with the buttermilk, blending until everything is just mixed.
- Turn the batter into the buttered pan, and smooth out the top. Bake for about 60-70 minutes, or until the cake is risen, not wobbly in the center, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out without wet batter clinging to it. My cake took 70 minutes. Note: place a loose sheet of foil over the top of the cake toward the end of baking if it seems to be browning too quickly.
- Let the cake cool for 10 minutes before releasing the sides of the pan, then let it cool completely on a rack before frosting.
- To make the frosting, blend the butter and mascarpone cheese until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and cloves. Blend in the sugar, a cup at a time,until you get a smooth, thick frosting.
- The frosted cake can sit at room temperature for up to 2 hours, but then should be stored in the refrigerator.
Notes
This banana cake was first published in 2014, and has been re-tested and re-photographed in 2026.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 slice · Calories: 630 kcal · Carbohydrates: 94 g · Protein: 7 g · Fat: 26 g · Saturated Fat: 16 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 5 g · Trans Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 110 mg · Sodium: 291 mg · Potassium: 171 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 67 g · Vitamin A: 858 IU · Vitamin C: 2 mg · Calcium: 74 mg · Iron: 2 mg
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
Did You Make This?We love seeing what you've made! Tag us on social media at @theviewfromgreatisland for a chance to be featured.