The delicious combination of bananas and blueberries gets paired with a tangy cream cheese frosting in this Blueberry Banana Cake recipe.

Generally I consider myself to be a pretty thrifty shopper when it comes to anything for the home or photo/cake props. I think I’ve only paid full price ONCE for a cake stand, and it’s one that I’ve used a whole two times. Not worth it, right? So, I tend do do most of my shopping at thrift shops or discount stores like Homesense. Every once in a while I get suckered in at an antique shop and that’s exactly what happened with this cake stand.

While I was in Sydney, my sister took me to this massive (and amazing) antique store called Mitchell Road Antiques. I think we probably spent like 3 hours in there and still didn’t see everything. They have some killer mid-century modern furniture that I wish I could have fit into my suitcase. But alas, I stuck to smaller bits and pieces.

My sister and I both had our eyes on this pretty cake plate, but she graciously said that I should buy it because I bake more cakes than she does (lol). I loved the vintage vibe of it and had to have it. Totally worth the $25 price tag, or so I thought. It actually might be the only thing I bought from there now that I think of it… Anyhow.
The very next day, and I’m not even kidding you, we saw the exact same cake plate at the Paddington Markets for $2. $2!! Except that it was actually less, because the guy let us take 4 different items, whatever we wanted, for a total of $5. Seriously. Wtf Mitchell Road Antiques?! Not cool.

Did I feel ripped off?? Hellllll yes. But ultimately I was glad that my sister was able to get one as well and really, it was worth the $25 to me, so whatever. We literally saw the exact same cake plate a third time at a thrift store a couple days later for $2 again. Whatever! Mental note to stay away from “antique” shops in the future.
Anyhow, enough of my rambling, onto this pretty Blueberry Banana Cake!

Evidently I have a theme when it comes to making desserts for my mom’s birthday. I hadn’t realized it until this year, but three years in a row now I’ve made a blueberry something or other. I know that my mom prefers berry flavored desserts over chocolate, and I know she doesn’t like the seeds most berries have, so it’s a natural choice. Not that anyone is complaining, mind you. I actually think blueberries are now overtaking raspberries as my favorite berry.
The most common companion to blueberry seems to be lemon, but I wanted to try something a little different. Seeing as how blueberry banana happens to be one of my favorite smoothie combos, I figured I’d give it a shot in cake form to see if it works. Spoiler: It works! Ridiculously well actually.

How to make this Blueberry Banana Cake recipe
It’s very important to use overripe bananas for this banana cake recipe. If they’re not overripe, the flavor own’t be as strong. It really makes a huge difference! Banana’s have a very short shelf life for me, as soon as there are brown spots I consider them inedible, but you really want to wait until they are super soft and have a lot of brown on them.
You can also use frozen and thawed bananas instead if you stash them in your freezer like I do. Be sure to bring them to room temperature first though and do not drain the liquid.
I use cake flour in this recipe instead of all-purpose flour which is what I typically use. Bananas can have a tendency to make the cake more dense so the cake flour helps to counteract that a bit. It’s not the end of the world if you don’t have any though. All-purpose should work fine too.
I used fresh blueberries in this cake but you can use frozen (not thawed) as well. Either way, be sure to coat them in flour to help prevent sinking. This will sometimes happen regardless of your berry coating efforts, but thankfully the layers aren’t super tall so if there is any sinking it shouldn’t be too bad.

The banana flavor in this cake is delicious and it goes amazingly well with the blueberries!! I love this combo. The tangy cream cheese frosting was a must for this Blueberry Banana Cake recipe. It complements the cake layers perfectly well.
If you’re looking for a delicious and easy banana cake recipe, this one is for you!
Looking for more Banana Desserts?
- Banana Chocolate Chip Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting
- Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
- Nutella Banana Cake with Hazelnut Meringue
- Banana Split Cake
Notes & tips for this easy Banana Cake recipe:
- Apr 14, 2022 – Cream Cheese Frosting recipe revised to make a more stable frosting.
- Be sure to use very overripe bananas for best flavor. You can also use frozen and thawed bananas instead if you stash them in your freezer like I do. Be sure to bring them to room temperature first though and do not drain the liquid.
- Be sure to coat your blueberries in flour before folding them into the batter so that they don’t sink!
- You can use frozen blueberries instead of fresh ones, but do not thaw them first.
- You can substitute any other berry if you prefer, or leave the berries out altogether for a simple and easy banana cake.
- Alternatively, you can use chopped nuts if you prefer. Chopped walnuts would be perfect!
- To help ensure your cake layers bake up nice and flat, see my Flat Top Cakes post.

Blueberry Banana Cake
Ingredients
Blueberry Banana Cake:
- 2 cups cake flour sifted
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup overripe bananas mashed, approx. 2 medium
- 1/2 cup buttermilk room temperature
- 1 cup blueberries fresh or frozen, tossed in 2 tsp cake flour
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup cream cheese 8oz, full fat, chilled, cubed
- 4 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- cornstarch or meringue powder optional
Instructions
Blueberry Banana Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour three 6″ cake rounds, line with parchment.
- In a medium bowl, whisk cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside .
- Beat butter until smooth. Add sugar and beat on med-high until pale and fluffy (2-3mins).
- Reduce speed and add eggs one at a time, fully incorporating after each addition. Add vanilla and mashed bananas and mix until well combined.
- Alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour (3 additions of flour and 2 of milk). Fully incorporating after each addition. Do not overmix.
- Gently fold in blueberries, being careful not to break them.
- Spread batter evenly into prepared pans and bake for 30mins or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean.
- Place cakes on wire rack to cool for 10mins then turn out onto wire rack to cool completely.
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Using a stand mixer or hand mixer beat butter until pale and creamy.
- Reduce speed to low. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time and mix on low until well blended. Increase speed to medium and beat for 3 minutes. Add vanilla and continue to beat on medium for 1 minute.
- Slowly add chilled cream cheese one cube at a time (about 1 tablespoon at a time). Beat well until blended and ensure no lumps of cream cheese remain.
- If needed, add cornstarch or meringue powder 1 tablespoon at a time to stiffen the frosting (I didn't but this is an option).
- Run mixer on low for a couple of minutes to remove any air bubbles.
Assembly:
- Place one layer of cake on a cake stand or serving plate. Top with 2/3 cup of frosting. Repeat with remaining layers and apply a thin coat of frosting all over the cake. Chill for 20mins.
- Use the remaining frosting to frost the cake, and do a rustic swirl on the sides and top with an offset spatula if desired.
- Top with fresh blueberries and thyme sprigs if desired.
Carol says
I think you are just amazing and your recipes are always accompanied by the most beautiful photos and instructions.I noticed you stated not to throw away the juice from thawed and defrosted bananas ( I also love it when people realize that you can freeze bananas for later use!) Not so long ago I discarded the juice when my bananas thawed and then I realized, HEY, that is actually the bananas juice and where the flavor will be coming from. OK, so it took me a mistake before I realized that. Why couldn’t I have been using one of your helpful recipes then?
It is these little things that can make or break the outcome from a recipe. A LOT of people don’t realize how important these little things are, and although I have been baking many more years than I care to list, it is still a learning game for me.That is the beauty of baking and cooking. It never gets old.Thanks for just posting such lovely recipes and have a great weekend!
Olivia says
Thanks so much for your sweet comment, Carol! You totally made my day 🙂
Kim says
Liv, your decorating is tops! I would love to see some tutorials on how you do it.
Olivia says
Thanks so much Kim!! 🙂
Claudia E Herzog says
I followed the recipe to the t and made a double recipe, used 9in rounds and the amount was perfect. Baked them a little longer than 30 mins, just until they were golden brown and I don’t know what went wrong but the cakes were dense and difficult to swallow….
I’m going to try it again because the flavor was amazing!
I’ll keep you posted.
Claudia
Olivia says
Hi Claudia! I wonder if doubling the recipe affected the overall structure. That can happen sometimes. How did you test them to check that they were done? And did you use fresh or frozen bananas/blueberries?
ivonne says
the best way on fixing this is by using the proper measurements in grams vs just scooping it out of their containers. Proper grams makes a world of difference and will not leave your baked goods dense.
Stinky says
Jolly good!
Tiffany says
Was looking for a blueberry cake to make for my husband’s birthday. Followed the recipe exactly, except used two 8-in rounds because it’s what I had. I thought the cake was delicious and everyone wanted seconds. More of a BANANA-blueberry cake, but I loved that. Thank you for this stellar recipe.
Olivia says
So happy to hear that you liked it Tiffany! 🙂
Pam Kozlow says
I noticed you said you can freeze this cake. Will the blueberries in the cake get mushy once defrosted. I would like to make the cake in advance and freeze but was worried about the texture once defrosted.
Thank you
Pam
Olivia says
Hi Pam! I have not found the blueberries to be mushy once the cake is thawed 🙂
Tee says
I hope this doesn’t sound negative but I was only able to get cake batter into two cake pans. I was looking for the height in the cake based on the ingredients but it didn’t happen. The cake was really good but as a baker, I would change a few things to get it to my liking. It was very dense and I didn’t get the taste I was expecting with the cream cheese icing and the bananas and blueberries. Again, the cake was very good but I personally would tweak it just a bit. I will continue to bake this cake until I get the taste I’m looking for. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Olivia says
Hi Tee! Bizarre about the cake pans — did you use 6″? My three baked right to the top. It shouldn’t be dense either due to the cake flour. Is it possible that your baking powder is expired? Or that the batter was overmixed?
Tee says
Thanks, I will bake again soon and send pics.
Joelle says
I only got two pans as well but it came out great. I didn’t have cake flour or buttermilk but thanks to others posts, I was able to do substitutes!
Olivia says
Awesome, so glad to hear that Joelle!
Mary says
Can u use regular flour. Does it have to be sifted.
Olivia says
Hi Mary! You can try it with regular flour but it will make for more of a dense cake. Only cake flour needs sifting.
Hayley says
The Regency Cake Strips you recommend are for 8″ and 9″ pans. Are you able to just overlap them to fit the 6″ pan?
Olivia says
Hi Hayley! No, they won’t quite work well with 6″ pans, though you could try pinning them on, or try the ones from Wilton instead: https://amzn.to/2Jl7MAB
Faye says
Why do my blueberries always sink to the bottom of my cake? 😣
Olivia says
Hi Faye! Do you toss them in flour first? Did they sink in this recipe or another one? If another one then perhaps the batter is a bit too thin.
Krystle says
any suggestion for high altitude alterations to this recipe?
Olivia says
Hi Krystle! I’m not familiar with high altitude baking, but here are some tips: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
Leah says
OH.MY.GOSH!!!! This cake was amazing!!!!! My coworkers loved it. It has also now won our hearts and will be our wedding cake! Thank you for sharing, it’s delicious!
Olivia says
Hi Leah! I am SO happy to hear that!! It’s one of my faves 🙂
taylor says
hi! I’m making this cake for my dad’s birthday. are there any tips you have? I want to see if I can make it first try. I dont want to practice making the cake, just want to make it on the same day, and bring it to him. Can I use one 8″ or 9″ pan, or do I need three pans? can I use normal flour? His birthday is on April 13th.
Olivia says
Hi Taylor! For best results follow the recipe ingredients and instructions exactly as written. Normal flour will make for a bit of a denser cake. This recipe will work in two 8″ round pans. Good luck! Let me know how it turns out 🙂
Joe says
I’m a novice at baking but would love to try this cake. I don’t have 6 inch pans. Can I use 8 or 9 inch pans and if so, how many of each would I need. I thought maybe 3 of the 8 inch or maybe 2 of the 9 inch but not sure
Olivia says
Hi Joe! You can use the recipe as is in two 8″ pans and it should work just fine. Let me know how it turns out!
Shelby Ferriell says
Hi! Does anyone know how many cupcakes this recipe makes?
Olivia says
Hi Shelby! I’ve never used this recipe for cupcakes, but my guess would be about 18 or so.
Violet Lee says
I was able to get 24 cupcakes. I filled my cup cake liners 3/4 full.
Susan Williford Cobb says
I love your story about the cake plate. Made me giggle. I am going to try to make this cake for my 75 year old Dad. His two favorite things, bananas and blueberries !!! I think it will be a hit. Thank you so much for sharing. You should write a book.. With your stories and cakes it would be a hit. I would buy it.
Olivia says
Aww yay!! I hope your dad loves this one (let me know!). And thank you for your sweet comments!! xo
Katrin says
Hello. I want to make this awesome cake for my bd. I want to make 9″ cake pan, but with 3 layers . Don’t think that 1 cake mixture will be enogth. Should I make 2 portion ?? Thanks. And I want to try to make it with Swissbutter cream. What do you think?
Olivia says
Hi Katrin! Sorry for the delayed reply. I would double the recipe, but the layers might still be a bit thinner than mine here. Let me know how it turns out!
Scott says
I’ll be making this and bringing it to work for my ungrateful co-workers this Friday. Love that it’s little. I’m going to make them fight for a slice. Can’t wait!
Olivia says
LOL, I love this. Let me know how the battle goes (and how you like the cake!).
Jess says
So glad I found this recipe!! I made a sample just to taste and it was delicious! I’m going to make it for my sister’s 30th birthday party this weekend for about 35 people.. I was thinking the easiest way would probably be to make a bunch of 8″ round cakes with 2 layers each and just decorate one and keep the rest simple just to have enough to serve.. any better/more creative ideas?
Olivia says
Hi Jess! SO glad you like it! How about mixing it up a bit? A two layer 8″ and three layer 6″ and some cupcakes??
Jess says
Great idea! Cupcakes would be perfect!!
Jan says
Has anyone made this in a 9 x 13 pan? How long did you cook it? Should it work OK? I want to make it this weekend but would like to try it as a sheet cake for this particular occasion.
Olivia says
Hi Jan! I’ve never made it in a 9×13 pan myself, but I worry that there might not be enough cake batter for it. Or, at the very least, the layer will be a bit thinner than normal sheet cakes. How long do you normally bake sheet cakes for? I would bake it till the top is browned, the cake is set (doesn’t jiggle when the rack is nudged), and a cake tester comes out mostly clean. I hope that helps! Let me know if you try it 🙂
EngScott2076 says
A 9×13 inch pan is 117 square inches. One 6″ round pan is 28.2 square inches. Times three gives about 85 square inches. So it’s about 2/3rds of what you’d need for the same thickness.
Olivia says
Thanks Scott! I suspected it wouldn’t be quite enough.
Sass says
Made this tonight — absolutely delicious! Everyone went back for seconds. I did use a different cream cheese frosting recipe, which is my go to (it only has 2 cups powdered sugar, so it doesn’t thicken up quite as much as pictured above, but I prefer the taste that way). So delicious and moist, will be making again. And again 🙂
Olivia says
Hi Sass! This cake is a fave of mine for sure. I am so glad you liked it!!
Corrin says
I made this recipe for my cousin’s 1st birthday. Her favorite fruits are banana and blueberry. She absolutely loved the cake! Thank you!!
Olivia says
Hi Corrin! Yay, so happy to hear that 🙂
Gail says
Your cake looks amazing! I have a question, how long will it keep for if you don’t use cream cheese icing? I’m making a cake for a friend’s party but it would need to be made 1 or 2 days in advance. What would be the best way to store it? Many thanks.
Olivia says
Hi Gail! What type of frosting do you plan to use? The cake as is will store well in the fridge for 1-2 days. The longer it sits, it will dry out, but it should be fine for 1-2 days. Take it out 2-3 hours before serving so that it can come to room temperature.
Lauren says
Hello- I have tried to make this cake but in the UK we do not get cake flour, I read a few blogs and tried all
Purpose flour mixed with cornstarch which resulted in the cake not really cooking properly. I’m making the cake again today with just plain all purpose flour… will see how I get on!
Olivia says
Hi Lauren! It should work ok with all purpose flour too, but may be a bit more dense. Let me know how it turned out!
Cheryl says
You can make cake flour (I’ve substituted bought a couple times, because I don’t use it often enough to buy a large amount)
I use:
6 cups all purpose flour (white or wheat)
12 tbsp cornstarch.
Sift together and store in an airtight container
Hope this helps!
Olivia says
Thanks for the tip Cheryl! 🙂