Easy Banana Cake with Oil

banana cake with oil cut into square slices with chocolate frosting on top

Banana bread lovers have to try this banana cake with oil! This banana cake is covered in my favorite chocolate frosting, and you don’t even need a mixer to make the cake. Plus, you can easily make it dairy-free so it’s perfect for those with food allergies!

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine American

Diet Low Lactose, Vegetarian

Prep Time 15

Bake 20

Total Time 35

Servings slices

Calories 307

Author Gabby Kislanko

Equipment

Ingredients

Banana Cake

½ cup neutral oil (like sunflower, canola, or grapeseed)
2 eggs
2 cup ripe mashed bananas (3-4 ripe bananas)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¾ cup granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 cup all-purpose flour

Chocolate Frosting (optional)

1 cup butter, softened (regular or dairy free)
¾ cup cocoa powder
2-2½ cup icing sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Tablespoons milk, if needed (regular or dairy free)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Banana Cake with Oil

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13 pan or line it with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, add oil, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk in the white sugar.
Mash the bananas with a fork to remove large clumps. Mix it in with the other liquid ingredients.
Add in the flour, salt, and baking soda.
Pour the batter into the pan and smooth it out evenly.
Bake for 17-23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely before frosting.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Make the buttercream. In the bowl of a standing mixer or handheld mixer, beat butter, vanilla extract, and cocoa powder until smooth.
Slowly add in ¼ cup of powdered sugar at a time until it reaches your desired consistency.
If the buttercream is too thick, you can add ½ tablespoon of milk in at a time, thinning it out as much as you'd like. If buttercream is too thin, add in more powdered sugar ¼ cup at a time.
Once the cake has cooled completely, frost and enjoy!

Video

Notes

Please Note: I highly recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh your dry ingredients. Metric measurements are found above under the "Metric" tab.

Flour: It is very important that you measure your flour properly! The right way to measure your flour is to weigh it using a kitchen scale, or use the scoop and level method.

Whole Wheat Banana Cake: If you want to make whole wheat banana cake, you can swap the all purpose flour at a 1:1 ratio with whole wheat flour.

Alternative Frosting Options: cream cheese frosting or vanilla buttercream are both delicious options for this cake!

Storage and Freezing Instructions:

Store in an airtight container at cool room temperature for up to 3 days. Freeze for up to 3 months by placing in a Ziploc bag. Thaw at room temp or heat one at a time in the microwave before serving.

Nutrition