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.
Darja Schabad says
I decided to create this cake for my sons first birthday as it combines his two favorite foods: blueberry and banana. I have tried it twice in a 9” pan and twice it didn’t rise (to the occasion so to speak). It very heavy batter and doesn’t seem to have the fluffy look as your recipe shoes in the picture. I followed the recipe to the tea and I’m very upset because it looks nice and fluffy. I keep thinking if you forgot to mention baking soda as an ingredient?
Olivia says
Hi Darja! A 9″ pan is way too big for this recipe — the cake layers will be very thin. I suspect that was the issue here. In three 6″ pans the cake layers were about 1.5″ tall. My recipes use baking powder instead of baking soda.
Dallas says
I also sometimes do cake flour instead of regular flour if I feel a recipe is dense and it helps a lot
Jackie says
This may sound like a silly question but how do you double the recipe? Want to make sure I don’t mess it up thanks for your quick responses.
Olivia says
Hi Jackie! You can easily adjust the serving size. Just double the number it says and all of the amounts should update.
Jackie says
Can you make frosting ahead of time?
Olivia says
Hi Jackie! Yes, just refrigerate it and then bring it to room temp and rewhip before use.
Monica says
Hi,
I will be trying this cake for a Quincianero. Has anyone made cupcakes? How high do you fill the muffin cups?
Olivia says
Hi Monica! I think this would work fine as cupcakes. I wouldn’t fill them more than 2/3 to 3/4 full. Start checking them at about 15mins or so.
Reva Potter says
I made cupcakes, 2 tablespoons in each cup, felt with the icing
Karla Marie Magpayo says
Hi, thanks for this recipe! I’m planning to make this for my son’s 1st bday party so I’d like to make it bigger. How should I adjust the recipe for 3 x 8in cake tins?
Olivia says
Hi Karla! I would 1.5x the recipe for three 8″ pans. You can adjust the Servings to 18 to get the amounts.
Monica says
Hi,
I love you page and your cakes and fresh and elegant. I will be making the banana blueberry cake fora Quincianero. I was wondering if I can double the recipe and I have to make multiple tiers.
Olivia says
Hi Monica! You can definitely double the recipe! You may have to adjust baking time if you’re using different pans.
Mindy says
Umm… what do you mean bya “2 large eggs” ?
Olivia says
Hi Mindy! Eggs come in a variety of sizes — medium, large, extra large, etc. I use large ones for this recipe.
Sandra says
Hi there! This cake is beautiful and I think will be perfect for my son’s 1st Birthday. Blueberries and bananas are his favorite. If I were to only use half the sugar would it affect the outcome of the cake other than being less sweet?
Olivia says
Hi Sandra! Reducing the sugar by that much might have an effect on the structure of the cake — maybe more dense. You can give it a try though, or just reduce by 1/4.
Kristine says
Hi there! Saw a note that it is okay to leave the cakes out overnight wrapped in plastic. Assuming once I frost, I should put it in the fridge? Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Kristine! If frosted I would refrigerate.
Alex Payne says
I would like to make this cake for my wedding in September, can I use margarine instead of butter?
Olivia says
Hi Alex! I would not use margarine – both for flavour and texture.
Maria says
Hi Liv,
I’d love to give this recipe a go, its sounds so perfect, can you please tell me are the measurements US. Would it be possible for you to tell me what they would be in kilograms and grams please, or imperial is fine. I’m in Australia and our measuring cups and spoons are different volume to the US.
thanks
Olivia says
Hi Maria! They are in US measurements but there’s also a metric converter at the bottom of the list of ingredients.
JennyD says
Hello
Would you be able to tell me what camera lens you use?
Olivia says
Hi Jenny! For these photos I used a 50mm 1.8 lens.
Anj says
Hi
Could I bake this a day ahead and frost the next day? Would I need to cover in cling wrap or keep in the fridge till I take out for frosting, or is it safe to keep out as is?
Thanks.
Olivia says
Hi Anj! Just overnight should be fine on the counter covered with cling wrap.
Chris says
This looks wonderful! I’m not a baker by any stretch of the word but will be trying this for a friends birthday. I may have missed this, but how tall are your pans or how full did you fill the pans before baking. I read the flat top cake post, I can also go by weight too. And what a neat trick!
Olivia says
Hi Chris! The pans I used here were 2″ tall, but 3″ tall work too. The batter fills the pans a bit over halfway or so in 2″ tall pans.
Maryeast says
I made this cake without the blueberries. I was a little concerned since I am a novice. Using three cake pans with the flat top cake wraps. It was Great!! I made it for a good friend celebration of life get together . It looked beautiful, I added a few nuts to the batter and sprinkled on the top. Many compliments I was lucky to even try a piece! Liv, you r my go to girls for cake recipes!
So, what is for Thanksgiving?
Olivia says
Love the nuts instead of blueberries! That would be a delicious combo too. So glad you liked it and can’t wait to hear what you try for Thanksgiving!
Kim says
This cake was a big hit! Loved the banana and blueberry combination. Liked how the frosting added to the whole cake, and was not over powering sweet.
Olivia says
So happy to hear that you liked it Kim! It’s a fave combo of mine too.
Jennifer says
Hi, I made this cake and it turned out pretty good I must say. I didn’t have the proper size pans as your recipe so I made 2 7″. Even with just one inch difference in 2 pans I felt the cakes didn’t rise so much. But the end result was still well received by family.
I couldn’t find blueberries so I replaced with raspberries – just as good!! This recipe is definitely a keep and I will make it again 😀
Olivia says
So happy to hear you liked it!
Laura says
Do you use 6x3inch pans or 6x2inch pans?
Olivia says
Hi Laura! All of my pans are 2″ tall, but 3″ would work!
Lisa says
Can you make this in a bundt pan?
Olivia says
Hi Lisa! I’ve never tried but think it would probably work just fine!
Anne says
Made this cake yesterday and brought it to work. I made it in a bundt pan, baked for 1hr. Followed recipe exactly, however no icing, just a dusting of powdered sugar. It was delicious. Everyone enjoyed!!
Olivia says
Hi Anne! So happy to hear everyone liked it!
holly hines says
hello!
i’m going to try a few of your cakes…..they look scrumptious…..can you tell me howe you got the frosting like that?? i’ve been experimenting with cupcakes and cakes…..i love the way it looks!
Olivia says
Hi Holly! I hold an offset spatula along the sides as I rotate my turntable and then work my way up the cake.
ANCASBA says
This looks stunning!
I’m a health-conscious mum researching for my son’s second birthday cake. I will try this recipe with goat’s produce, as he has a sensitivity to cow’s.
Thank you!
Olivia says
I hope you like it! Let me know how it turns out 🙂