This banana cinnamon roll cake is packed with so much deliciousness! Every bite has a tender brown butter crumb, lots of banana flavour, and a cinnamon sugar swirl. It's drizzled with a sweet vanilla glaze that is the cherry on top!
If you've got leftover bananas on your counter and you're trying to figure out what to bake with them, make this banana cinnamon roll cake!
Everything comes together in just a few simple steps and all of the ingredients used are pantry staples you've already probably got laying around.
It's got a soft brown butter banana cake, cinnamon swirl throughout, and a sweet vanilla glaze on top! It will be a crowd hit wherever you bring it!
For more banana recipes, try Banana Bread Chocolate Chip Cookies, Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Bread, and Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins.
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Why this recipe works
- Bananas - A great way to use up any leftover bananas!
- Easy to make - Comes together in a few simple steps.
- Cinnamon swirl - There's a cinnamon batter swirled in before baking!
Ingredients Notes
All-purpose flour – Standard all-purpose flour works best here.
Butter – I always use unsalted for baking. This will be melted and browned. Make sure it is cooled back down to room temperature. If it is too warm, the cake batter will be too runny.
Brown sugar – I used light brown sugar. Dark brown sugar works as well.
Bananas - I used fresh bananas that were very ripe. The riper, the sweeter the cake will be. Make sure to use fresh and not frozen.
Lemon juice - Added into the vanilla glaze. You can use milk instead, but I enjoy the hint of tartiness the lemon juice gives to the cake.
Powdered sugar - Used in the glaze. Make sure to use powdered sugar (also known as icing sugar), and not white granulated sugar.
Vanilla extract – I love using a ton of good quality vanilla in my recipes.
Step by step instructions
Here is how to make and bake this Banana Cinnamon Roll Cake. You will need an 8×8 square pan lined with parchment paper, a large mixing bowl, a spatula, and a whisk.
Step 1 – Prep. Grease the pan. For easy removal of the blondies, place parchment paper on the bottom and 2 sides of the pan. Grease again and then set aside. Mash bananas in a bowl and set aside.
Step 2 – Brown the butter. See recipe card for full details on how to brown butter. Cool back down to room temperature before continuing on with the recipe.
Step 3 - Whisk wet ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk mashed bananas, sour cream, brown butter, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Whisk until well combined.
Step 4 - Add in brown sugar. Mix in the dark brown sugar until dissolved. It may be clumpy because of the bananas and that is ok.
Step 5 - Add dry ingredients. Add in flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cornstarch, and salt. Using a spatula, gently fold it until well combined and no dry streaks show. Don't over-mix!
Step 6 - Make cinnamon filling. In a small bowl, combine melted butter, cinnamon, and dark brown sugar. Mix until all combined into a grainy mixture.
Step 7 - Layer. Add the banana batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Dollop cinnamon filling on top. Using a toothpick or knife, gently swirl around a few times. Don't over-swirl!
Step 8 - Bake. Bake the banana cinnamon roll cake for 45-60 minutes. A toothpick inserted should come out clean with a few crumbs, no wet batter.
Step 9 - Drizzle. While the cake cools, make the icing by combining powdered sugar and lemon juice. Once the cake is cooled, drizzle, slice, and enjoy!
Expert Baking Tips
Here are a few expert baking tips from my kitchen to yours
- Use a gram scale. I cannot emphasize this enough! It is the most accurate way of measuring your ingredients in the kitchen. This is one of my favourites.
- Fresh, not frozen. Make sure to use fresh, brown bananas. Frozen bananas carry a lot more liquid therefore changing the consistency of the batter.
- Lemon juice - Adds a nice tartiness to the cake! You can use milk instead, but I just love that hint of flavour it adds!
FAQ
Do I have to add the cinnamon filling?
No, you can just make this a regular banana cake. If you're looking for a chocolate version, check out my Chocolate Banana Brownies.
Can I use whole-wheat flour?
Yes, you can use whole-wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour with no other changes needed.
What can I use instead of sour cream?
Use equal parts applesauce or even canned pumpkin puree. Beware it will change the texture, taste, consistency, and potentially bake time though.
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Banana Cinnamon Roll Cake
Ingredients
Banana Cake
- 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas approx 3 large bananas
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup butter melted and browned
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup sour cream room temperature
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 egg yolk room temperature
- 1 1/2 tsps baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 3/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 3/4 cups flour
Cinnamon Filling
- 5 tbsp butter melted
- 5 tbsp dark brown sugar
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
Icing
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 tsp lemon juice or milk
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉/176℃. Grease the pan. For easy removal of the cake, place parchment paper on the bottom and 2 sides of the pan. Grease again and then set aside. Mash bananas in a bowl and set aside.
- Brown the butter: In a medium sized saucepan, add the butter and melt it on medium heat. Once it melts, it will crackle, then become foamy – continue mixing the butter while this happens to prevent burning. The butter will go from melted to golden brown quickly, and you'll know it's almost done when the aroma of browned butter arrives. The whole process should take about 5 minutes! Once golden, remove from heat and transfer to a glass bowl to cool for 20 minutes while you prep the rest of the ingredients.1/2 cup butter
- In a large bowl, whisk mashed bananas, sour cream, brown butter, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Whisk until well combined. It may be clumpy because of the bananas and that is ok.1 1/2 cups mashed bananas, 1 tbsp vanilla, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1 egg, 1 egg yolk
- Mix in the dark brown sugar until well combined.3/4 cup dark brown sugar
- Add in flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cornstarch, and salt. Using a spatula, gently fold it until well combined and no dry streaks show. Don't over-mix!1 1/2 tsps baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, 3/4 tsp cinnamon, 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch, 1 3/4 cups flour, 1/4 tsp salt
- In a small bowl, combine melted butter, cinnamon, and dark brown sugar. Mix until all combined into a grainy mixture.5 tbsp butter, 5 tbsp dark brown sugar, 1 tbsp cinnamon
- Add the banana batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Dollop cinnamon filling on top. Using a toothpick or knife, gently swirl around a few times. Don't over-swirl!
- Bake the banana cinnamon roll cake for 45-60 minutes. A toothpick inserted should come out clean with a few crumbs, no wet batter should be on the toothpick. If there is wet batter, keep baking for 5 minute intervals, checking after each 5 minutes.
- While the cake cools, make the icing by combining powdered sugar and lemon juice. Add lemon juice 1 tsp at a time until your desired consistency is reached.1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1-2 tsp lemon juice
- Once the cake is cooled, drizzle, slice, and enjoy!
Dace Zoltners says
I made this recipe on Christmas morning. It was lovely, moist and loved the flavor of the browned butter. Definitely will make again. On Christmas eve I assembled all the items that needed to be room temp. I did use 4 frozen bananas. I thawed them overnight and drained in the morning.
Ania says
Hi Dace! Thank you so much for your sweet comment, it made my day. I'm really happy to hear the cake was a success on your Christmas morning. 🙂