Banana Cake Using Cake Mix
Banana Cake Using Cake Mix tastes like a bakery cake with an easy shortcut, your favorite cake mix from a box. The extra-luscious frosting paired with this sheet pan cake is made using instant pudding, milk, and Cool Whip – so quick and easy!
If you love easy cakes made with cake mix, be sure to try my strawberry pound cake, my sunshine cake, or my moist and tender white cake from a box.
Easy Banana Cake Recipe
When my Grandma Lucille asked me what kind of birthday cake I wanted, I always chose the very same one: Her banana cake.
She always served this 9×13 cake recipe on a beautiful pedestal cake stand, and believe me when I say that the cake never disappointed. Her secret was simple: select ingredients like white cake mix, very overripened bananas, and a piece of aluminum foil at the end to ensure the most moist and delicious cake ever!
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I remember how she would always save her over-ripened bananas in the freezer, and I’d be amazed that something so black and ugly could be transformed into such a gorgeous and delicious cake.
My family loves all kinds easy desserts in 9X13 sheet pans. I love to pair this one at gatherings with Strawberry Poke Cake.
Recipe Ingredients and Substitutions
For a full list of all the ingredients needed, review the full recipe card below.
- White cake mix: Use your favorite brand but I love Pillsbury Moist Supreme. If you already have a yellow cake mix on hand, use it.
- Baking soda: This is a special added ingredient that ensures the cake raises properly since you are adding lots of extra ingredients to the cake mix.
- Cinnamon and nutmeg: These two spices really accent the banana flavor.
- Milk and butter: These ingredients replace the usual water and oil used for making cake batter. Both ingredients make the “crumb” of your cake more tender.
- Mashed bananas: Again, like Grandma used to say “The blacker and riper, the better for making delicious banana cake!”
- Instant vanilla pudding, milk, whipped topping: These three simple ingredients make the creamiest combination for a dreamy frosting. If your fam is really bit on the flavor of banana, you can substitute banana instant pudding for the vanilla.
- Sliced bananas, optional: If you want to make this cake look a little fancy when you serve it, stack a couple of banana slices on top of each piece.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9×13-inch pan with nonstick spray and reserve.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix with the baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg until well combined.
Add the milk, butter, eggs, and smashed bananas.
Using an electric mixer, beat the ingredients together on low speed until combined, then increase the speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes until very smooth.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan, spreading it out evenly.
Bake the cake, uncovered, for 35-45 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Remove the cake from the oven to a cooling rack.
Cover the cake pan securely with foil and allow the cake to cool completely while covered. Do not skip this step. It’s essential to make a moist cake!
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the milk with the pudding mix, beating until smooth. Use a spatula to fold in the Cool Whip.
When the cake is cool, spread the prepared frosting evenly over the top. Chill the cake for at least 3-4 hours before serving.
If desired, stack a couple of banana slices on each square of cake just as you serve it.
My Recipe Tips
- Cover the cake with foil as soon as it comes out of the oven. This is a trick my Grandma Lucille taught me. The foil forces the condensation from the heat down into your cake, making it deliciously moist. I do this with all my cakes!
- This cake is best served chilled, as the frosting is made with pudding and whipped topping. Store it in the fridge until it’s gone.
- Did you know you can throw whole over-ripened bananas right into your freezer., as is? When you’re ready to make banana cake, just thaw, remove the peels and put the mushy banana flesh right into your mixing bowl. (Or into the blender to make a smoothie!)
Best Frosting for Banana Cake
Instant pudding, milk, and whipped topping come together almost instantly to make a light, luscious frosting for this cake. Switch out the pudding flavor to adjust the frosting for any cake.
I love to use chocolate instant pudding with milk and whipped topping for a cool and chilled chocolate cake.
Storing and Freezing
Store this cake in the fridge since the frosting is made with milk and whipped topping. If you don’t like chilled cake, you can let the cake rest at room temperature for a bit before serving it.
This cake freezes great. Just be sure it’s fully cooled before popping it into the freezer. When you’re ready to use it later, thaw the cake and then frost it just like the recipe directs.
How to Know When the Cake is Done
To know when a cake is fully done at the center and ready to be removed from the oven to cool, use a knife or cake tester. Insert either one of these tools into the center of the cake. If the knife or cake tester comes out perfectly clean, the cake is done.
If you remove the cake tester or knife from the center and there’s cake batter clinging to it, you know you need to bake the cake longer.
Towards the end of the baking time, I bake the cake in 5-10 minute intervals, checking at the center at the end of each one.
Other Sheet Cake Recipes
I love simple summer desserts. If you are looking for other easy-to-make desserts, try our Cranberry Cake or Chocolate Cream Pie.
Banana Cake Using Cake Mix
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 white cake mix
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- 3 large eggs
- 3 medium over-ripened bananas mashed well with a fork
Frosting
- 5 ounce box instant vanilla pudding
- 1 1/2 cups cold milk
- 1 cup whipped topping, such as Cool Whip
Garnishments, Optional
- Sliced bananas
Instructions
Make and Bake the Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9×13-inch pan with nonstick spray and reserve.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix with the baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg until well combined. Add the milk, butter, eggs, and smashed bananas.1 white cake mix, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup melted butter, 3 large eggs, 3 medium over-ripened bananas
- Using an electric mixer, beat the ingredients together on low speed until combined, then inrease the speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes until very smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan, spreading it out evenly.
- Bake the cake, uncovered, for 35-45 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Remove the cake from the oven to a cooling rack. Cover the cake pan securely with foil and allow the cake to cool completely while covered.
Make the Frosting
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the milk with the pudding mix, beating until smooth. Use a spatula to fold in the cool whip.5 ounce box instant vanilla pudding, 1 1/2 cups cold milk, 1 cup whipped topping, such as Cool Whip
- Spread the prepared frosting evenly over the cooled cake. Chill the cake for at least 3-4 hours before serving. **If desired, stack a couple banana slices on each square of cake just as you serve it.