This vintage Banana Cake recipe is the best banana cake I have ever tasted. It is moist and fluffy. If you have been looking for that old fashioned banana cake recipe that your grandmother made this is it!
Old Fashioned Vintage Recipes are the best!
This old fashioned Banana Cake recipe comes from The Kitchen Kapers Cook Book. Recipes compiled by The Woman’s Society of Christian Service First Methodist Church of Dover, Ohio.
I did a little extra research and I believe this cookbook could be from as early as 1930. The recipe was submitted by Lulu Exline.
This vintage cookbook belonged to my husband's grandmother. My mother in law knowing how much I love old vintage recipes was kind enough to pass all of her families cookbooks and recipes on to me.
I've shared a number of them here in the Vintage Recipe Project. I love old fashioned recipes like this. Another great recipe is this old fashioned Apple Dapple Cake. You can never have too many classic dessert recipes on hand.
Original Recipe as written in the cookbook
1 ¼ cup white sugar, 1 cup sour or buttermilk, ½ cup butter, 1 tsp soda, 1 tsp vanilla, 2 eggs, 2 ½ cups flour, 2 bananas, 1 tsp baking powder
Mash bananas fine, set aside. Cream butter and sugar add eggs, add bananas, dissolve soda in buttermilk add with flour alternately to which baking powder has been added.
The above recipe is copied as is. There were no baking instructions.
I made a couple of adjustments to the recipe. I increased the bananas to 3 instead of 2. I also added ½ teaspoon of salt.
Modern day adjustments and mixing directions below.
- The recipe will fill 2 nine inch cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- You could also use loaf pans or make cupcakes with this recipe. You will have to adjust the cooking times of course.
This was really one of the best recipes for banana cake that I've ever tasted. The cake was fluffy and moist with a great banana flavor.
I used about a half a can of chocolate frosting for the filling and left the top and sides unfrosted. This will be my go-to recipe for banana bread, muffins or cake from now on.
Vintage Banana Cake Recipe
I made some slight changes to update the vintage recipe. Follow the recipe in the recipe card below to make the best banana cake you have ever eaten!
Vintage Banana Cake Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup sour or buttermilk
- ½ cup butter
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 3 large overripe bananas
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Vintage Banana Cake Directions
- Prepare two 9 inch cake pans by greasing them with solid shortening and flouring them.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix flour with all of the dry ingredients and whisk to incorporate.
- Mash 3 bananas in a medium-sized bowl.
- Cream the butter and sugar together.
- Add eggs to the butter and sugar one at a time and beat until fluffy.
- Add buttermilk and vanilla to the bananas and mix well.
- Fold banana mixture into the sugar, and eggs and mix well.
- Slowly fold flour mixture into the other ingredients.
- Fold until all ingredients are moist.
- Pour batter into the prepared cake pans.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the center spring back.
Vintage Baking Tips
When tackling old-fashioned cake recipes, consider these five invaluable tips to ensure your baked goods turn out perfectly every time:
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Ensure ingredients such as eggs, butter, and milk are at room temperature. This facilitates better mixing and helps achieve the correct texture and volume.
- Sift Dry Ingredients: Sifting flour and other dry ingredients not only removes lumps but also aerates the mixture, leading to a lighter, fluffier cake.
- Be Precise: Old-fashioned recipes were created in an era when baking was an exact science. Use precise measurements for all ingredients, and consider investing in a kitchen scale for accuracy.
- Oven Temperature Accuracy: Oven temperatures can be finicky and often inaccurate in older models. Use an oven thermometer to ensure the correct baking temperature, as even a slight variance can impact the cake's outcome.
- Patience is Key: Unlike modern cakes designed for speed and convenience, old-fashioned cakes might require more delicate handling and longer cooking times. Avoid opening the oven door frequently, as this can cause sudden temperature drops and affect the cake’s rise.
Print the Vintage Recipe Project Banana Cake Recipe Below
Email questions or recipe requests to flouronmyface@gmail.com. Follow me on Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.
Vintage Banana Cake
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ½ cup butter
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 3 large bananas
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Prepare two 9 inch cake pans by greasing them with solid shortening and flouring them.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix flour with all of the dry ingredients and whisk to incorporate.
- Mash 3 bananas in a medium sized bowl.
- Cream the butter and sugar.
- Add eggs to the butter and sugar one at a time and beat until fluffy.
- Add buttermilk and vanilla to the bananas and mix well.
- Fold banana mixture into the sugar, butter and eggs and mix well.
- Slowly fold flour mixture into the other ingredients. Fold until all ingredients are moist.
- Pour batter into the prepared cake pans.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the center spring back.
Recipe Expert Tips
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Ensure ingredients such as eggs, butter, and milk are at room temperature. This facilitates better mixing and helps achieve the correct texture and volume.
- Sift Dry Ingredients: Sifting flour and other dry ingredients not only removes lumps but also aerates the mixture, leading to a lighter, fluffier cake.
- Be Precise: Old-fashioned recipes were created in an era when baking was an exact science. Use precise measurements for all ingredients, and consider investing in a kitchen scale for accuracy.
- Oven Temperature Accuracy: Oven temperatures can be finicky and often inaccurate in older models. Use an oven thermometer to ensure the correct baking temperature, as even a slight variance can impact the cake's outcome.
- Patience is Key: Unlike modern cakes designed for speed and convenience, old-fashioned cakes might require more delicate handling and longer cooking times. Avoid opening the oven door frequently, as this can cause sudden temperature drops and affect the cake’s rise.
Nutrition
Do you long for the days of yesteryear when homemakers knew how to stretch a dollar to feed their families.? Depression-era woman knew how to feed their families with what they had on hand.
Check out Premeditated Left Overs 16 Frugal Depression Era Recipes to learn how you can be frugal and still feed your family delicious recipes.
Jackie S.
Arlene:
I tried to get in touch with you about your vintage recipes but kept getting a error message when I tried to send it. Would you write me as I have a question to ask you. I love your site and vintage recipes.
Arlene Mobley
Jackie
Can you send me an email with your question to flouronmyface@gmail.com
PB
This banana cake is a vintage find! I made it today with two overripe bananas (forgot the baking powder), added the salt and used egg beaters instead of real eggs. I baked it in a tube
Springform, only buttered for 40 minutes. I didn't do much of
the folding and blending in. I just mixed the dry ingredients and the wet ones and then combined them. The cake is wonderfully fluffy and could be used with a crumble bake, or any way it suits or fits the occasion I already shared the recipe with friends and family!.
Arlene Mobley
Sweet Pea
Thank you for stopping by! I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe. It is one of the best vintage recipes I have ever made!
Cathy C.
Yayyyy ! This is a cake from my childhood. My mom was raised during the depression and she made this when we were kids. She never wrote down the recipe. I've looked for it seems like forever. She would make an icing using butter, a mashed banana and powdered sugar. I'm guessing a 1/2 to 1 stick of butter, the banana and then enough powdered sugar to make a spreading ( but soft ) consistency. Delicious ! Keep refrigerated after icing . Such a tasty banana dessert ! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Arlene Mobley
Cathy
So happy to hear this. I hope you enjoy the recipe and the memories!
Cathy Smith
Probably the reason they were no baking instructions were that back in grandmas depression days they used wood stoves and the baking instructions would not have worked for us anyway. I had a cookbook that I cherished for many years from my mother that she had used that came with a wood stove. It had a recipe for an awesome pound cake in it, but no baking directions that could be used with a modern days stove. The directions simply stated "place the cake pan inside the oven with it is too hot to place your hand to the oven door". I however, did make the pound cake on several occasions, simply by guessing a temperature and carefully watching my cake and testing for doneness. It was a wonderful "pound cake". The recipe called for 1 lb. of butter, 1 lb. of flour, 1 lb. of sugar and 1 lb. of eggs (10 eggs).
Arlene Mobley
Cathy
I believe you are probably right. Some very old recipes call for a "low" oven or "hot" oven temp.
Liz
I've just made this cake with my daughter and it is cooking nicely in the fan oven.We use celsius temp în UK but i Googled the conversion and I think 160 is ok. I grew up with Fahrenheit and pounds and ounces so I prefer the old ways. We didn't have buttermilk so I used milk. She had to look for a 1930s recipe for a school project. Fingers crossed. Love banana cake and I'm looking forward to tasting this one.
Arlene Mobley
Liz
I am sure the cake will turn out fine with the adjustments you made. What a great baking project for your daughter. I love that her school is teaching about vintage recipes.
Cate
I made this cake yesterday as per your instructions, but I sandwiched mine together with a homemade version of Nutella. It must have been good as, when I went to grab a slice for my lunch today, the cake tin is empty
Arlene Mobley
Kate
I bet it tasted awesome with your homemade Nutella filling. I will have to try that real soon. We love Nutella.
Helene Powers
Hello,
For the grandmother's Banana Cake.........
Can I use an 8X 8 pan and cut the receipe in two ?
Or a 9 x 13 pan ?
Thank you and congrats on your page
Helene
Arlene Mobley
Helene
I made the cake in two 8 inch round pans. You could make the recipe as is and freeze the other pan. An 8 x 8 pan holds a larger volume than the 8 inch round pan so i don't believe half the recipe would be enough. So the cake might be very thin in an 8 x 8 inch pan.
Green
Did you use 2- 8" round pans for this recipe or 2- 9" round pans. The recipe says 9" and the comments say 8". TIA!
Arlene Mobley
Either size cake pan will work for this recipe. You might need to bake the 8-inch pans a few minutes longer.
Green
Thanks!
Arlene Mobley
You're very welcome!
Jean
I make banana bread and cupcakes with chocolate chips added, but I am so anxious to make this vintage cake. Thank you so much, Arlene, for going through the challenge of updating and sharing this wonderful recipe.
Arlene Mobley
Jean
You are welcome. I love banana chocolate chip muffins!
Angela
I( just now) came across this lovely (and easy to prepare) banana cake. I'll definately make it as soon as I buy more bananas and some buttermilk. I plan to use 'Orange Glaze" on it instead of Chocolate Frosting....but I'm sure that would be delicious, as well. You definately can't beat those old recipes! This looks to be very close to a cake which my mom made many years ago, so I'm anxious to try it.
Arlene Mobley
Angela
I bet orange glaze will taste wonderful on this cake. Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Ashley
I made this yesterday and it was amazing! Thank you so much!
Mo
Saw you post on Blogs by Heather and thought I'd check you out. 🙂 Glad I did! What a great recipe! I look forward to making this for my family. And to seeing what else you have instore. 🙂
briarrose
Yum! The chocolate frosting in between the layers is a wonderful addition.
Tami
i am so trying this!
Elyse @The Cultural Dish
Oh I really love this! Banana cake sounds amazing...especially paired with chocolate frosting!
Peggy
Yum! This sounds so good!
Kate@Diethood
This sounds incredibly delicious... I love the banana and vanilla combination!
Daria
Very interesting recipe. I'd like to make this cake 🙂