Soft and chewy like a cinnamon roll, this cake has all the flavor the classic breakfast treat but includes the addition of banana. This banana cinnamon roll cake can easily be made vegan if needed!
My baby girl just turned SIXTEEN! About two weeks ago, I asked her what type of cake she wanted me to bake, and this is what she came up with. She has been on a banana kick lately, where she’s been making chocolate covered bananas, banana smoothies, and other banana-flavored things.
So it was no surprise when she shared this recipe with me. When I read the instructions, I was surprised that it was vegan. I “un-veganized” it by using dairy versions of most of the ingredients, but you can certainly use the vegan alternatives. Since there are no eggs, this is easily adaptable to anybody who is non-dairy.
The banana flavor is very subtle in the cake, and it provides the moisture to keep the cake soft, fresh, and spongy. Addie exclaimed that the cake was dryer than she wanted, but both my husband and I thought it was perfect. I could have used more spices in the cake (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cardamom), so you can alter the spice levels to your tastes.
The birthday girl definitely picked out a great recipe, and I’m excited to see what’s next on her baking list!
Husband’s rating: 4.5 out of 5
Addie’s rating: 4.5 out of 5
My rating: 4.5 out of 5
Banana cinnamon roll cake
Ingredients
Banana cake
- 1 cup milk of choice
- 1 Tablespoons apple cider or white vinegar
- 2 and ¾ cups cake flour
- 1 Tablespoon corn starch
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 3 overripe bananas pureed in a blender or food processor (should yield about 1 and ½ cups of liquid)
- ⅔ cup plain Greek yogurt room temperature
- 1 cup cane sugar can substitute with granulated sugar if needed
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- ½ cup canola oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Filling
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Buttercream
- 4 8-ounce packages cream cheese softened
- 1 and ½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter room temperature
- 6-8 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2-3 Tablespoons milk of choice if needed
Instructions
Make the cake
- Preheat your oven to 335℉. Generously grease and line 3 8-inch round baking pans and set aside.
- In a measuring cup, add the milk and the vinegar. Let it sit and curdle for ~5 minutes while you work on the dry ingredients.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, mix together the banana, yogurt, canola oil, sugars, and the vanilla. Mix well. Then add the curdled milk and mix well.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until everything comes together. Watch out for dry spots - I missed a LOT of them during the mixing phase and had to mix the batter again once I poured them into my baking pans!
- Evenly distribute the batter into the 3 prepared baking pans. Bake in your preheated oven for 28-32 minutes (I baked for 30 min) or until the edges are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean.
- Allow the cakes to cool to room temperature before assembling.
Make the filling
- In a small saucepan set over medium-low heat, melt the butter.
- Add the brown sugar and the cinnamon and mix well until everything is shiny.
- Add in the cream - it will bubble a bit. Cook for another 1-2 minites.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the salt and the vanilla.
- The filling should be easy to pour but not runny. If it appears to runny, cook it on the stove until it thickens a bit. Set this aside until ready to use.
Make the frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl if using a handheld mixer, cream the cream cheese and butter together on medium speed until smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar, a little bit at a time until smooth.
- Add the vanilla and the salt. Then add the additional milk if you need to thin out the frosting. It should be thick enough to spread but easily pipeable. I put mine in the refrigerator so it wouldn't get too soft and runny.
Assemble the cake
- Place one layer of the cake, flat side down, on a cake platter or plate.
- Using a piping bag, pipe the cream cheese frosting around the perimeter of the cake, essentially creating a "wall" of frosting.
- Spread a very thin layer of frosting on the cake inside the "wall."
- Spread about ⅓ of the filling on top of the thin frosting layer.
- Repeat with the second cake layer.
- Top the cake with the final layer, flat side facing UP. Frost the top and sides of the cake with a thin layer of the frosting and place it into the refrigerator to set, about 30-60 minutes.
- Frost with additional frosting to cover the top and sides of the cake.
- If desired, use the remaining ⅓ of the filling to drizzle over the cake or to serve it on the side.
- Place the cake back in the refrigerator to set, at least 1 hour, before slicing and serving.