Carrot Cake or Banana Cake

I found several recipes and took a little of each until I found a recipe that gets great reviews. I use the same base recipe for both carrot or banana cake. One mix makes one 9×13, two 8″ rounds or one 12″ round – all 2″ high. Two mixes needed for 11×15.

Carrot Cake or Banana Cake

Ingredients

  • Wet Ingredients:
  • For Banana Cake – 3-4 bananas
  • For Carrot Cake – 3 cups of shredded carrots
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar (light or dark)
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 1/2 cups vegtable oil
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • Dry Ingredients:

  • 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

  • 1 tsp. cinnomon
  • 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
  • 2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • Optional for Banana Cake: 1 cup chopped walnuts, 1 cup mini chocolate chips

  • Optional for Carrot Cake: 1 cup raisins, 1 cup coconut, 1 cup chopped walnuts, 1/2 cup crushed drained pineapple

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven at 300 degrees.
  2. Prepare pans for baking (greese-flour, baking spray, etc.)
  3. BANANA CAKE
  4. First beat bananas in mixer
  5. Add wet ingredients mix well, then add dry ingredients mix well. Add any other optional ingreients and mix gently.
  6. Pour into prepared pans and bake until knife comes out of center of cake clean.
  7. CARROT CAKE
  8. Add wet ingredients mix well, add dry ingredients mix well. Then add 3 cups of shredded carrots and mix well. Add any other optional ingreients and mix gently.
  9. Pour into prepared pans and bake until knife comes out of center of cake clean.

Comments (38)

on

The carrot version was great!! My husband looooved it. Now I'm trying the banana for my mom...Thanks for the post.

on

Ok...I am in desperate need to find a banana cake that is NOT so doughy! I used a recipe from this site and it was so heavy and very very doughy, ewww...lol...please help me asap, I need a recipe before the weekend.

on

Has anyone tried the recipe of the version with the pineapple and a version without the pineapple? If so, how do the two compare and which version do you recommend?

on

I tried this recipe over the weekend and it was just perfect. My husband and my son loved it. Thank you,

on

Made this carrot cake and all I could taste was oil. I did not put in the "extra" things so maybe that was it. But I have a ton of cake that I don't think anyone wil eat.

on

I have nevery had a problem with it being oily. It is very popular and we use alot of both the banana and carrot with and without everything in wedding cakes all the time. We have never had anyone complain about the taste. Sorry this didn't work out for you. Maybe try switching brands of oil.

on

I just made the banana cake.YUM !!!!!Thank you so much. Today is my lil girls 5th B-day.We made a monkey -(banana cake). Looks cute and taste yum. I am new to this site and already love it. I usually use the boxed mixes but no more. After a few trips to the store to make this I was 1/2 cup short on the flour, so I added 1/2 cup pancake mix as a sub and it worked. Thanks again

on

Made this banana cake for my dads birthday and everyone LOVED it! Even the kids who normally hate banana cake. Thanks so much!!

on

I am going to try the carrot cake recipe this weekend, but what type of frosting goes well with it. Cream cheese? I've never tried a carrot cake before so I have no idea

on

okay, the banana cake is the BEST banana cake EVER! it tastes like a moist and light banana bread. i paired it with peanut buttercream and chocolate buttercream and it was KILLER! the customer called me the next day just to tell me how good it was :) i don't put nutmeg in anything, so i just made that portion more cinammon and i added 4 bananas...besides that follow the recipe as is! perfection!

on

I have done the banana version twice and both times it was a hit. It is moist but firm enough to use for torting or for fondant. I use a little less sugar because I like to torte mine with penuche which is very sweet. It's so yummy that way. I didn't have nutmeg so I used apple pie spice instead. It's delish! Thanks for the recipe. It will be my standard from now on.

on

I've only ever done this recipe as the carrot cake, but plan to try the banana version as well. This cake is a hit - whether I do it plain or "fully loaded"...baked it for a former coworker's birthday and people thought I bought it from one of the high end gourmet bakeries! They couldn't believe it was made from scratch :)...definitely a keeper - thank you for sharing.

on

I made the banana version as cupcakes. They were yum, but I think it needed more banana flavor. Comparing this recipe to the A+ Babana Cake, this one was easier to work with because it doesn't involve butter creaming and it produces a more running batter that was easier to scoop for cupcakes. But they taste very different, this one spiced like a carrot cake, and the other with a richer banana flavor and heavenly butter flavor.

I could not taste any oil in this recipe like others have complained about, although, the oil did saturate the bottoms of the paper cupcake wrappers. (I used Wesson canola oil.)

The recipe made about 8 cups of batter & 41 cupcakes, using 3 tbsp. batter per cupcake. I had to bake for 30-31 min tho at 300, perhaps next time I will try baking at 350. I baked the Babana cupcakes at 25-27 min/350.

on

I will try the carrot cake this weekend... Can you suggest what frosting to use if it'll be covered in fondant? I love cream cheese with carrot cake, but not sure if it'll be good with fondant. Thanks!

on

I have made this recipe twice with great results both times. I did make some modifications..because I have issues and have to put my personal spin on everything...lol Also, I used cream cheese frosting under fondant and it was fine! My mods: I used a 250 gram bag of shredded carrots (it is a bit more than 3 cups) I used dark brown sugar plus 1 1/2 Tbsp because it was left in the bag ;) I bought "lots of pulp" OJ used light sour cream cuz I'm a dope an picked up the wrong container ;) I cut the oil down to 1 Cup after above users saying it was a bit oily..and I knew I'd be adding pineapple for moistness. I used 1 1/2 to 2 tsp of vanilla, 1/2 tsp butter flavor, and 1/4 tsp coconut extract added extra cinnamon and nutmeg along with a tsp of allspice because I like it spicy and threw in a little dried orange zest cuz it sounded good ;) and then I added the 1/2 Cup of pineapple and threw in a little of the juice since I had cut out some of the oil. I torted it and used cream cheese frosting and tossed on some finely chopped walnuts in between the layers with a sprinkle of orange zest. I'm not sure how much of a difference my mods made from the original, but the cake was a hit both times! My kids even ate it for breakfast ;) Thank you for the recipe! :)

on

Tried the carrot cake- AND IT'S UNBELIEVABLE!! I added raisins to the recipe and it really gave the cake 'something.' I made just a plain cream cheese frosting to go on it. DELICIOUS!!!

on

Made the banana cake....DELICIOUS!!! Topped with a cream cheese frosting, perfect! A huge hit....gonna try the carrot cake next....Thanks for sharing!!!!

on

This cake is awesome. I've made the carrot cake version several times and everyone has come back and ordered it a 2nd time. Thank you!

on

Carrot Cake in the oven now....smells delicious!!!! Can't wait to taste! Also can't wait to try the banana version....

on

For those that think this calls for too much oil...how about subbing applesauce equal parts? Also makes it a little healthier. Just a thought.

on

Made the Banana cake.. it was yummy but my husband said it lacked in banana taste. I halved the recipe and used 2 ripe bananas so I could test it out. Maybe next time I'll use 3 bananas. I didn't think it was oily.. but it did saturate the cupcake wrappers.

on

Love it! I tried the carrot version and cut the oil to 1 1/4 cup. I made half the recipe one version with carrots and walnuts, and the second time adding coconut, bc I thought the first one was lacking just something, that was it! Perfection.

on

I am wondering if this base cake could also become a pumpkin spice cake. I am making 3 different flavored cakes for a triple family birthday for 3 girls in our family. One will be carrot, one banana, and the other pumpkin. They will all have cream cheese crusted icing covered in marshmallow fondant. Each two tiered the bottom tier round and top tier pumkin shaped. Oh did I mention these are the first decorated cakes I will have ever made!!!! Oh my... My question is do you think I could use a can of pumkin in place of the carrot or bannana in the recipe? Do you think this cake will do fine to be stacked, iced with CCC, and covered in fondant? If so this would be a life saver to have one recipe to use for all three cakes!

on

Update: I used this recipe for three cakes. Banana, carrot and pumpkin flavored. For the pumpkin I added a can of pumpkin in place of the banana. Worked great! This is my go to cake recipe for any of those three flavors. It is always a big hit!