These mini banana cakes are tender, moist, and packed with sweet banana flavor. Topped with creamy frosting, banana chips, toasted coconut, and granola, they’re the perfect bite-sized treat!
When fall rolls around, it’s officially banana bread season! There’s something about cooler weather that makes us want to turn those overripe bananas into banana recipes that are sweet and comforting. From classic banana bread to bananas brûlée and decadent banana cake, it’s the perfect time to bake up a storm.
These mini banana cakes are a fun twist on traditional banana bread, offering all the cozy flavors you love in bite-sized petit four form. The sweet, moist cakes are topped with tangy cream cheese frosting and finished with a crunchy garnish of banana chips, toasted coconut, and granola. It’s the perfect combination of flavors and textures to toast the fall season!
Whether you're looking for a new way to use up ripe bananas or just want to indulge in something that feels like fall on a plate, these mini cakes are a must-try. They’re easy to make, fun to share, and bursting with that sweet banana goodness we crave as the weather cools down.
⭐ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Looking for the perfect treat to brighten your day? These mini banana cakes are packed with flavor, simple to make, and have a fun mix of textures with every bite! Here’s why you’ll love them:
- Moist and Flavorful: These mini cakes are loaded with ripe bananas, giving each bite the perfect sweetness and texture.
- Creamy Frosting: The tangy cream cheese frosting perfectly balances the sweetness of the banana cake.
- Customizable Toppings: With banana chips, toasted coconut, and granola, you can easily mix and match your favorite toppings.
- Perfect for Sharing: These bite-sized cakes are fun for parties, brunches, or even as an afternoon snack!
🍴Ingredients
Ready to bake? Here’s a quick breakdown of the key ingredients you’ll need to whip up these mini banana cakes and their delicious toppings:
- Ripe Bananas: The star of the show! They bring natural sweetness and moisture to the cake.
- All-Purpose Flour: Provides structure while keeping the cake light and tender.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: Ensures the cakes rise beautifully, giving them a fluffy texture.
- Granulated Sugar: Adds sweetness to the cake without overpowering the banana flavor.
- Butter: Adds richness and enhances the moistness of the cake.
- Eggs: Help bind the ingredients and add extra moisture.
- Vanilla Extract: A touch of warmth and depth that complements the bananas.
- Cream Cheese: The base for a tangy, smooth frosting that pairs beautifully with the sweetness of the cake.
- Powdered Sugar: Sweetens and smooths out the cream cheese frosting.
- Banana Chips, Toasted Coconut, and Granola: Adds texture and a delightful crunch to the finished cake.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
⏲️ Substitutions & Variations
- Gluten-Free Flour: Swap regular flour with a gluten-free blend to make this recipe gluten-friendly.
- Honey or Maple Syrup: Drizzle on top of your mini banana cakes for a natural sweet finish!
- Brown Butter Buttercream: Switch up your frosting on top with some brown butter if you'd like to shift the warmth and taste of each bite!
- Top with Nuts: Sprinkle chopped walnuts or pecans for a nutty crunch.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
📖 Mini Banana Cake Step-by-Step Instructions
Mash Bananas: In a small bowl, mash the ripe bananas until smooth and set aside.
Start Batter: Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, vanilla, and banana puree, mixing until fully combined.
Fold in Flour & Add Milk: Gently fold the flour into the wet ingredients until just combined. Stir in the milk to create a smooth, creamy batter.
Pipe into Greased Silicone Molds: Transfer the batter into a piping bag and pipe evenly into greased silicone molds, filling each about ¾ full.
Bake and Let Cool: Bake at 350°F for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cakes cool completely before frosting.
Garnish: Frost the cooled cakes with cream cheese frosting, then garnish with banana chips, toasted coconut, and granola for a delightful crunch!
👩🏻🍳 Expert Tips
Want to ensure your banana cakes turn out perfectly? These expert tips will help you master the recipe and avoid common pitfalls along the way.
- What if I don’t have the right baking molds? Not a problem! Turn these petit fours into simple blueberry muffins by baking the batter in a lined muffin tray instead of the molds.
- Use Overripe Bananas: The riper the bananas, the sweeter and more flavorful your cakes will be.
- Don't Overmix: Overmixing the batter can make your cakes dense instead of fluffy! Folding the dry ingredients into the batter will help quite a bit!
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Make sure butter, eggs, and cream cheese are at room temperature for easier mixing.
- Cool Completely: Let the cakes cool fully before frosting to prevent the frosting from melting!
💭 Recipe FAQs
Yes! You can bake the cakes a day in advance. Store them in an airtight container and frost them before serving.
Absolutely! Freeze the unfrosted cakes in a sealed container for up to 3 months. Frost after thawing.
Definitely! A buttercream or whipped cream frosting would also pair beautifully with these cakes.
Spread shredded coconut on a baking sheet and toast at 350°F for 5-7 minutes, stirring halfway through until golden brown.
More Banana Recipes You'll Love
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Mini Banana Cakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
Ingredients
Mini Banana Cakes
- 2 cups (240 g) All-Purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ½ cup (113.5 g) Unsalted Butter, softened
- ¾ cup (150 g) Granulated Sugar
- 2 Eggs, large
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (61 g) Milk
- 3 Ripe bananas, mashed
Cream Cheese Frosting & Garnish
- ¼ Cup (56.75 g) Unsalted Butter, room temperature
- 1 Cup (227 g) Cream Cheese, room temperature
- 1 ¼ Cup (150 g) Powdered Sugar, Sifted
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla Paste, or vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons Banana Chips
- 3 Tablespoons Toasted Coconut
- 3 Tablespoons Granola
Instructions
Mini Banana Cakes
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease a your silicone molds.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.2 cups All-Purpose Flour, 1 teaspoon Baking Powder, ½ teaspoon Baking Soda, ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- In a large bowl, cream together softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy.½ cup Unsalted Butter, ¾ cup Granulated Sugar
- Beat in eggs, one at a time, followed by vanilla extract and milk.2 Eggs, 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract, ¼ cup Milk
- Stir in mashed bananas until well combined.3 Ripe bananas
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
- Add batter into each mold or muffin liner until they are ¾ of the way full.
- Then bake muffins until a toothpick can be inserted into the middle of the muffin and it comes out clean. For the silicone mold muffins, this should take approximately 18-20 minutes. Let the muffins cool for ten minutes in the molds before turning upside down and removing the muffins from the mold. If your mold was greased well, the muffins should slide out easily.
- You are of course welcome to choose whether you want to cut off the domed portion of your muffins into a perfect cylinder or simply let them be! Make sure to let the cakes cool completely before frosting.
Garnish
- Beat together the softened butter and cream cheese on medium speed until it’s smooth and somewhat fluffy.¼ Cup Unsalted Butter, 1 Cup Cream Cheese
- Scrape down the sides, then add in the powdered sugar slowly, salt and vanilla paste/vanilla extract.1 ¼ Cup Powdered Sugar, ¼ teaspoon Kosher Salt, 1 tablespoon Vanilla Paste
- Pipe the cream cheese frosting on top of each mini cake before garnishing with banana chips, coconut and granola!2 Tablespoons Banana Chips, 3 Tablespoons Toasted Coconut, 3 Tablespoons Granola
Video
Notes
- What if I don’t have the right baking molds? Not a problem! Turn these petit fours into simple blueberry muffins by baking the batter in a lined muffin tray instead of the molds.
- Can you make these muffins ahead of time? I don’t recommend making these more than 1 day in advance. They’re so moist and soft when they come out of the oven and leaving them for longer than a few days could dry them out.
Lauren
These look delicious!! Love banana and cream cheese together, so yummy for fall!!