This vintage Banana Cake recipe is a charming piece of culinary history, handwritten with love and likely passed down through generations. Its warm, simple ingredients reflect a time when desserts were made from scratch using what was available in the pantry. With ripe bananas for moisture and flavor, and a unique boiled brown sugar icing that finishes it off with nostalgic sweetness, this cake is a delicious reminder of homestyle baking. Perfect for family gatherings or a cozy dessert at home, it’s an easy-to-make classic that holds its place as a comforting favorite.
Ingredients
For Cake:
- ½ cup butter
- 1¼ cups sugar
- 2 bananas (mashed)
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup sour milk
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ⅛ tsp of salt
For Frosting:
- 1¼ cups brown sugar
- ⅓ cup water
- 4 marshmallows
Instructions
Step 1: Cream Ingredients
- Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
Step 2: Mix Wet Ingredients
- Add mashed bananas and eggs to the creamed mixture. Beat well.
Step 3: Combine Dry Ingredients
- In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Step 4: Combine All Mixtures
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture alternately with sour milk. Stir in vanilla.
Step 5: Bake the Cake
- Pour the batter into a greased 9×13-inch baking pan.
- Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 30–35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Step 6: Prepare Frosting
- In a saucepan, boil brown sugar and water until it forms a soft ball when dropped into cold water.
- Remove from heat, stir in marshmallows, and beat until smooth.
- Spread over the cooled cake.
Tips
- Add ½ cup chopped walnuts for a classic vintage-style banana–nut cake.
- Replace sour milk with buttermilk for richer flavor.
- Add ½ teaspoon cinnamon for a warm spice note.
- Frost with cream cheese frosting if you prefer something tangier than the handwritten caramel–marshmallow icing.
- Mash bananas very smooth for even texture or leave slightly chunky for rustic texture.
- Add mini chocolate chips for a kid-friendly variation.
- Bake as cupcakes (adjust time to 18–20 minutes).
- Swap butter for oil for an extra moist crumb.
- Use overripe bananas for best sweetness and aroma.
- Add a pinch of nutmeg to complement banana flavor.
Transcription of the Original Recipe
Read or copy the transcription
Banana Cake 1/2 cup butter 1 1/4 " sugar 2 bananas 2 eggs 2 cups (illegible) 1 cup sour milk 1 teaspoon B.P. 1 " " soda 1 " " vanilla salt 1 1/4 cup Brown sugar 1/3 " water Boil till it makes a soft ball in cold water. Add 4 marshmallows and beat. Salvaged Recipes
From Transcription to Instructions
We love that the original directions are a simple, honest list, but they leave the mixing order a bit curt, so we broke that quick note into smaller steps in our instructions to make the order easier to follow: cream the butter and sugar first, beat in the mashed bananas and eggs, then work the dry mix in alternately with the sour milk and stir in the vanilla. The original’s short frosting note is kept intact in our instructions too, we just spell out boiling the brown sugar and water to a soft ball, stirring in the marshmallows and spreading the cooled glaze on the cake.
Nutrition
Calories: 330kcalCarbohydrates: 55gProtein: 3.5gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 45mgSodium: 210mgPotassium: 210mgFiber: 1.5gSugar: 39gVitamin A: 310IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 60mgIron: 1.1mg
