Small Banana Cake Recipe: Moist 6-Inch Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting (Perfect for Two!)

This Small Banana Cake is a truly special treat – a delightfully sweet, incredibly moist, and wonderfully tender 6-inch banana cake that requires just one overripe banana. Forget dense banana bread; this recipe delivers a true cake experience, complete with a luscious cream cheese frosting! It’s the ideal dessert for those seeking a perfectly portioned treat without excess leftovers.

Small Banana Cake on wooden board with slice cut out, showcasing its moist texture and creamy frosting

Today marks a truly special milestone: Homemade In The Kitchen’s 16th year of sharing delicious recipes and culinary adventures! While the official anniversary was yesterday, coinciding with a birthday celebration, the essence of this achievement remains bright.

It’s genuinely hard to believe that what began as a simple coping mechanism for homesickness during my college days has blossomed into a fulfilling career. From recipe development and food styling to food photography and writing, every step has been a journey of passion and dedication. And honestly, none of this would have been possible without your incredible support over the years. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for being part of this community!

Through this journey, I’ve sometimes felt like an outlier in the culinary world. It often seems as though the entire cooking and baking landscape revolves around large families and “standard” serving sizes, leaving those of us in smaller households feeling somewhat overlooked. I can’t count the times I’ve been met with bewilderment for not making a giant 13×9 lasagna to freeze for a single person, or for suggesting that six cupcakes might actually be enough for a gathering. The constant questions about doubling or tripling recipes, or the occasional jest about only baking half a dozen cookies, have made me realize that many resources just don’t cater to our unique needs.

But you, my dear readers, have shown me unequivocally that there IS a thriving space for us – for those who live alone, for couples who choose not to have children, and for parents whose children have grown, leaving them to cook for one or two people once again. Your enthusiasm for small-batch recipes has been my greatest validation.

What better way to celebrate 16 years of Homemade In The Kitchen than by doing what I do best: creating delicious 6-inch cake recipes tailored for smaller appetites and intimate moments?

For years, many of you have been requesting a dedicated Small Banana Cake recipe. The timing felt perfect to finally scale down my popular Banana Layer Cake into a more manageable, single-layer treat. This recipe delivers a sweet, moist, and tender 6-inch banana cake, crafted from basic pantry ingredients. This means you can likely whip up this delightful dessert right now, provided you have one perfectly ripe, very brown banana waiting to be transformed.

My primary goal with this banana cake for two was to ensure it tasted distinctly like a rich, decadent cake, and emphatically *not* like banana bread. I recall a disappointing banana cupcake from a bakery that was essentially a banana muffin in disguise. That’s simply not what we’re aiming for! We want the lush texture and flavor of a true banana cake, perhaps even with a hint of chocolate, much like my beloved banana chocolate chip cake.

Just like my popular small batch banana muffins and mini banana bread, this Small Banana Cake recipe ingeniously utilizes just one overripe banana. This ensures maximum banana flavor without overwhelming the cake with too much moisture or a dense, bread-like texture.

Because every exceptional cake deserves an equally exceptional frosting, I chose to adorn this one with a decadent peanut butter cream cheese frosting. The creamy, tangy notes of cream cheese perfectly complement the sweet banana flavor. While I was also tempted by my rich chocolate cream cheese frosting, the peanut butter added an extra layer of irresistible complexity. There’s no need for sour cream here; the mashed banana and brown sugar naturally contribute to the cake’s incredible moistness and tender crumb. After all, if there’s anything worse than a cake tasting like a muffin, it’s biting into a dry, flavorless cake!

Perfectly sliced portion of small banana cake on a white plate, ready to be enjoyed

Essential Ingredients for Your Small Banana Cake

Crafting this delightful 6-inch banana cake requires a selection of common pantry staples. Each ingredient plays a crucial role in achieving that perfect moist and tender texture, ensuring your cake is utterly irresistible:

All-Purpose Flour: The foundational structure of our cake. Proper measurement is key! Always use the spoon and level method to avoid a dense cake; scooping directly can add too much flour.
Baking Powder and Baking Soda: These are our essential leavening agents. Used in combination, they work together to create lift and stabilize the cake structure, preventing it from collapsing and ensuring a light, airy crumb.
Ground Cinnamon and Nutmeg: These warm spices are banana’s best friends. They enhance and deepen the natural sweetness of the banana, adding a subtle complexity that makes the cake truly sing.
Salt: A pinch of salt is crucial for balancing the sweetness and brightening all the flavors in the cake, ensuring it’s not bland but rich and well-rounded.
Unsalted Butter: Butter contributes immensely to the cake’s richness and tender crumb. As it melts during baking, its steam helps the cake rise, trapping carbon dioxide and creating a delicate, melt-in-your-mouth texture. Make sure it’s softened for proper creaming.
Granulated Sugar: Provides sweetness and also helps to tenderize the cake by interfering with gluten development.
Brown Sugar: Beyond just sweetness, brown sugar adds a wonderful depth of flavor with its molasses content. Crucially, it also introduces extra moisture to the batter, contributing to that signature moist banana cake texture.
Large Egg: The egg acts as a binder, bringing all the ingredients together. It also adds structure, richness, and contributes to the cake’s overall rise. Ensure it’s at room temperature for better emulsion with the butter.
Overripe Banana: This is the star! It’s absolutely vital to use a very brown, almost black, spotty banana. These bananas are sweeter and softer, mashing easily and imparting the most intense banana flavor and moistness to your cake. Resist the urge to use firm, yellow bananas!
Vanilla Extract: A touch of pure vanilla extract enhances all the other flavors, making every dessert taste more delicious and complex.
Whole Milk: Use full-fat whole milk for the best results. The fat content is essential for a rich, moist banana cake. Lower-fat milk alternatives will compromise the texture and flavor. Ensure it’s at room temperature to prevent the batter from curdling.
Chocolate Chips or Chopped Nuts (Optional): While optional, much like my banana chocolate chip cake, a sprinkling of semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped walnuts/pecans will always elevate your banana cake, adding delightful pockets of flavor and texture.

Essential Equipment for Your Small Banana Cake

To successfully bake this perfect small banana cake with cream cheese frosting, the right pan is key. You’ll need a 6×2 inch round cake pan. These can be conveniently purchased online from Amazon (affiliate link) or found in the cake decorating aisle of most local craft or kitchen supply stores. This specific size is crucial for achieving the desired thickness and baking time for a “small” cake.

This 6-inch banana cake is perfectly portioned to serve approximately 4 to 6 slices, depending on how generously you cut each piece. It’s an ideal size for intimate gatherings, a small family treat, or simply to enjoy over a few days without excessive leftovers.

How To Convert Banana Cake Into Banana Cupcakes

Don’t have a 6-inch cake pan readily available? No problem! You can still enjoy the delicious flavors of this recipe by making my small batch banana cupcakes instead. They offer a similar taste profile in a convenient, individual serving.

Close up view of the small banana cake, richly frosted with cream cheese frosting, ready for serving

Simple Steps: How To Make Your Small Banana Cake

Making your homemade banana cake with a luscious cream cheese frosting is a straightforward and rewarding process. Follow these steps for a perfect bake every time:

Prepare Dry Ingredients: Begin by sifting your all-purpose flour into a large bowl. This ensures a lighter cake by aerating the flour and removing any lumps. Then, stir in the baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and salt, ensuring they are well combined. Set aside.
Cream Butter and Sugars: In a separate large bowl, using an electric mixer (with a paddle attachment if using a stand mixer), beat together the softened unsalted butter with both granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat on medium-high speed for about 1-2 minutes until the mixture is light, fluffy, and creamy. This step is vital for incorporating air, which contributes to the cake’s rise and tender crumb.
Incorporate Wet Ingredients: Scrape down the sides of your bowl to ensure everything is evenly mixed. Then, beat in the room temperature egg, mashed overripe banana, and vanilla extract until just combined. Be careful not to overmix at this stage.
Alternate Dry and Wet: Reduce your mixer speed to the lowest setting. Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture alternately with the room temperature whole milk. Start and end with the dry ingredients, adding the flour in three additions and the milk in two additions. Once the final addition of flour is incorporated, switch to a rubber spatula and gently fold by hand. This gentle folding is crucial – overmixing at this stage can develop too much gluten, resulting in a dense, tough cake. If using, fold in chocolate chips or nuts now.
Fill and Bake: Transfer the prepared batter evenly into your greased and parchment-lined 6-inch cake pan. Smooth the top with your spatula.
Bake to Perfection: Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for approximately 35-40 minutes. The cake is done when a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached, but no wet batter. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes before inverting it onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Close-up of a slice of banana cake with cream cheese frosting on a plate, highlighting the delicious layers

How To Frost Your Small Banana Cake

As previously mentioned, I chose to frost this banana cake with a delightful peanut butter cream cheese frosting, which offers a fantastic flavor pairing with banana. However, if peanut butter isn’t your preference, a classic, simple small batch cream cheese frosting is always an excellent choice, providing a tangy contrast to the sweet cake.

For those who prefer buttercream, you have equally delicious options! Consider pairing this cake with my rich peanut butter buttercream frosting for a nutty indulgence, or a classic small batch chocolate buttercream for a timeless combination. The choice of frosting can truly transform the cake experience, so feel free to experiment with your favorites from my full list of frosting recipes.

A small banana cake, artfully cut to reveal its moist interior, sitting on a wooden board

Storing Your Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Proper storage is essential to keep your small banana cake fresh and delicious, especially when topped with a perishable frosting. Since cream cheese frosting contains dairy, it requires refrigeration.

With Cream Cheese Frosting: Store your frosted banana cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. For the best flavor and texture experience, always allow the refrigerated cake to sit at room temperature for 15-30 minutes before serving. Cold mutes flavors, so letting it warm up slightly will bring out all the wonderful nuances of the banana and frosting.
With Buttercream Frosting: If you opt for a room temperature-safe frosting, such as a traditional buttercream (made without cream cheese), your small banana cake can be stored on the counter in an airtight container for up to 3 days. This offers a bit more convenience for immediate enjoyment.

Always ensure your cake is covered to prevent it from drying out, regardless of the storage method.

Explore More Small Cake Recipes

If you’ve fallen in love with the convenience and charm of this small banana cake, you’ll be thrilled to discover my other small-batch creations. Perfect for any occasion or just a cozy dessert for two, these recipes prove that great things come in small packages:

Small Chocolate Cake: A rich and decadent treat for chocolate lovers.

Small Vanilla Cake: A classic, buttery vanilla cake that’s always a crowd-pleaser.

Small Red Velvet Cake: Velvety smooth with a hint of cocoa and that iconic cream cheese frosting.