• Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Pinch My Salt

Food, Recipes, and Photography

  • About
  • Contact
  • Links
  • Recipe List
  • Store
  • The BBA Challenge

Banana Cake Roll with Cream Cheese Filling

September 27, 2007 by Nicole 76 Comments

Banana Roll with Cream Cheese

Well, I don’t think I could ever get tired of banana bread. But if you’re looking to try something a little different with those overripe bananas sitting in your fruit basket, how about a banana roll? Banana sponge cake spread with a thick cream cheese filling rolled up into one yummy package — what’s not to love?

You’ve had pumpkin roll before, haven’t you? This is the same thing, except made with banana sponge cake rather than pumpkin. In fact, I just used the recipe for pumpkin roll, substituted banana for the pumpkin, took out the spices, and voila!

It was one of those experiments that could have been a total disaster but just happened to turn out very well. If you’ve been reading Pinch My Salt long, you know that most of my ‘original recipes’ are created this way!

Banana Roll

Cake:
Powdered sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup mashed banana (about 2 medium bananas)

Filling:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup powdered sugar (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease 15×10 inch jelly-roll pan (also known as half sheet pan); line with parchment or waxed paper. Grease and flour paper; set aside. Spread out a clean, thin dish towel on the counter (make sure the towel is larger than your jelly roll pan); sprinkle liberally with powdered sugar (this can be done using a mesh strainer).

2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda.

3. In a large bowl combine eggs and sugar; beat until thickened. Add banana; beat until well mixed.

4. Stir in flour mixture into egg mixture. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan, easing it carefully to the corners with a spatula.

5. Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 13 to 15 minutes or until center springs back when lightly touched.

6. Immediately loosen cake from edges of pan; invert cake onto the prepared towel. Remove pan; carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake in towel while hot, starting with 10-inch side. Cool completely on wire rack (will take at least an hour).

7. When cake is almost completely cooled, make the filling: beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smooth.

8. When cake has cooled completely, unroll and spread with filling (or your favorite cream cheese frosting) then re-roll cake. Wrap rolled cake in plastic wrap then refrigerate at least one hour (overnight is best).

9. When ready to serve, unwrap cake and place on a platter. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired (sift the sugar through a small mesh strainer for a nice presentation). Cut into slices.

Related Recipes:

  • Best Banana Muffins
  • Whole Wheat Banana Bread
  • Cream Cheese Filled Banana Muffins

Around the Web:

  • Banana Loaf Cake from David Lebovitz
  • Chocolate Banana Cake from The Wednesday Chef
  • Banana Cake with Almonds (Gluten Free) from Lucullian Delights
  • Tish Boyle’s Banana Cake from Kitchenography

Filed Under: Adventures in Baking, Desserts, Vegetarian

« Biscuits with Sausage and Sage Gravy
A Recipe for Keeping Lettuce Fresh and Crisp »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Deborah says

    September 27, 2007 at 2:33 pm

    Aaahh, I've had many different flavored cake rolls, but never banana!! This sounds wonderful!
    Reply
  2. Jennifer says

    September 27, 2007 at 3:14 pm

    Nicole, this looks and sounds delicious! I love the idea of the cream cheese filling. I must try this some time! BTW, beautiful picture!
    Reply
  3. piealamona says

    September 27, 2007 at 3:41 pm

    I make a fool-proof banana bread from an old Betty Crocker cookbook. My husband's office mates love and devour it. They would flip over a banana roll..thanks for the recipe.
    Reply
  4. Curt says

    September 27, 2007 at 5:03 pm

    Personally, I feel you're focusing on the wrong part of this... The banana bread, roll, doorstop, whatever, is at most secondary... The star of this post is the cream cheese filling! The baked whatever is simply used as a transport mechanism to get cream cheese icing into the mouth!
    Reply
  5. Mike says

    September 27, 2007 at 5:53 pm

    Sounds great, I'm going to try this tonight, I might make 2 and instead of cream cheese in one I'm going to use Nutella.....you can never get enough chocolate, especially with bannanas!
    Reply
  6. Nicole says

    September 27, 2007 at 6:43 pm

    Deborah: I really can't believe that it took me so long to think of this, it's the perfect combination! Jennifer: The cream cheese is the best part! Piealamona: You're welcome! And I agree, this is perfect to send to the office! Curt: I know, I really didn't talk enough about the cream cheese! In fact, the whole reason I dreamed this up was because I had extra cream cheese frosting leftover from the Red Velvet Cake I made recently. I couldn't let the frosting go to waste and I can only eat so much by the spoonful starting to feel sick! I was going to make some banana muffins and frost them but some friends and I were talking about Pumpkin Roll the other night and the next day a lightbulb went off! Mike: I think Nutella would be AWESOME in this! What a great idea!
    Reply
  7. shivapriya says

    September 27, 2007 at 6:48 pm

    Sounds delicious, I was think to make banana bread sometime in weekend. I can try this .. I will let u know once I try.
    Reply
  8. Ruby Berry says

    September 27, 2007 at 7:40 pm

    mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! I love this idea, your so creative! :) Almost time to start making pumpkin rolls, I'll have to do half of them pumpkin style the other half banana! Thanks!
    Reply
  9. Kevin says

    September 28, 2007 at 12:49 am

    Nice photo! Both the pumpkin and the banana sponge cake rolls sound good.
    Reply
  10. Anh says

    September 28, 2007 at 1:01 am

    this is a wonderful idea! A banana swiss roll! I would love to have that!
    Reply
  11. amanda says

    September 28, 2007 at 2:58 am

    nicole, you said it the best when you said, "what's not to love".... seriously! what's not to love. it looks sooooo yummy
    Reply
  12. ilva says

    September 28, 2007 at 5:18 am

    What a wonderful invention! And thank you for mentioning my recipe!
    Reply
  13. Nicole says

    September 28, 2007 at 6:46 am

    Padmaja: Have fun! Ruby: The "creativity with food" comes from my Dad. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't ;-) Kevin: Thanks a lot! If the temperature ever drops here, I'll start making some pumpkin stuff again. For some reason I need the weather to actually feel like Autumn before I can start making Autumn food! Anh: I just saw a recipe for a vanilla swiss roll with lemon curd that sounds delicious!! Amanda: Thanks! Ilva: You're welcome, thanks for having such a great blog ;-)
    Reply
  14. Sara, Ms. Adventures in Italy says

    September 28, 2007 at 10:50 am

    Yum, this sounds good! I miss sweet breads here in Italy...a few times I've made banana bread when I just couldn't stomach paying the "California" bakery 3 euros a slice! Da provare! :)
    Reply
  15. brilynn says

    September 28, 2007 at 2:08 pm

    When I saw your pumpkin roll way back when I knew I wanted to make it but never got around to it, now I'll have to choose between banana and pumpkin... they both sound great!
    Reply
  16. manggy says

    September 28, 2007 at 2:44 pm

    Hey, this reminds me of Flo Braker's recipe... She didn't have enough indulgence though to fill it with cream cheese! (Is that what they call a Bee-Sting cake (er, roll)?) I love the combination.
    Reply
  17. Carla says

    September 28, 2007 at 2:52 pm

    I always end up making banana bread for my family because that's all they ask for with old bananas. Now I will have to introduce this recipe and see if it's as big of a hit.
    Reply
  18. Nicole says

    September 28, 2007 at 3:59 pm

    Sara: Three euros a slice! Ouch! We don't have any American bakeries down here except for one I know of on the other side of the island. But we do have our American grocery store on base so I can buy ingredients for just about anything I crave. But with all the yummy pasticcerie around, I don't miss American bakeries too much :-) Brilynn: Why not make one of each? :-) Manggy: I saw that recipe when I was trying to figure out who else was making banana rolls. Her cake is a butter cake rather than sponge and even though she says it can be rolled, I'm still be a little nervous to try it! But since I actually like butter cake better than sponge cake, I think I will try it sometime. I was thinking that her version would be especially good with the Nutella filling that Kevin mentioned! Carla: I usually do the same thing. About as adventurous as I ever used to get with ripe bananas was making banana muffins instead of a loaf of banana bread! It was fun to try something new although my banana muffins are much healthier than this cake!
    Reply
  19. cindy says

    September 29, 2007 at 6:53 am

    Ah I wish I can have a bite on that~!
    Reply
  20. Anali says

    September 29, 2007 at 2:59 pm

    OMG!!! This looks so good and I'd been recently thinking about how I've never tried any cake roll recipes. I'm so going to try this! Again, I'm printing out the recipe. And I don't know if this is new or I just never noticed it before, but I see the little printer icon for this post. I've been trying to figure out how to do this for my blog. Any pointers or suggestions? Thank you Nicole! ; )
    Reply
  21. Jason says

    September 29, 2007 at 5:28 pm

    Pumpkin Donuts?
    Reply
  22. Katie says

    September 29, 2007 at 9:49 pm

    MMMM!! Looks fantastic. Thanks for a new banana idea. I just made a pumpkin cake/bar recipe that called for cream cheese icing, and I put just a pinch each of cinnamon and nutmeg in the icing, and it was delicious. I bet that would work really well with this recipe too.
    Reply
  23. cooking4two says

    September 29, 2007 at 11:17 pm

    Beautiful! That's exactly how I get most of my original recipes too! Experimenting can be fun, unless you're starving and screw up dinner. That 20 minutes waiting on the pizza to get here takes forever ;)
    Reply
  24. Cynthia says

    September 30, 2007 at 11:27 am

    I love banana bread and am definitely going to try this. Makes for a great presentation too dosen't it?
    Reply
  25. Diane Drinkwater says

    September 30, 2007 at 2:20 pm

    Oh that looks excellent! I'm going to have to go and buy some bananas now. I adore bananas but tend to buy them in a big bunch which often means I have a few which get really ripe before I can eat them. I love mixing them mashed into cake batter - it's a great way of using them, so I'll be giving this recipe a try too!
    Reply
  26. Nicole says

    October 1, 2007 at 10:49 am

    Cindy: Well, if you make it :-) Anali: Yes, the print option is something brand new! I guess I should write a post and point it out. It's nice because it allows you to print just the post without the photos or sidebar or anything else. I'm glad you like it! Jason: You might be on to something there.... Katie: Your pumpkin bars sound great! Adding spices to the cream cheese filling is an excellent idea! I'll probably be stealing it ;-) cooking4two: Hahahaha! Yes, you're right. And where I live, there aren't many delivery options so if I screw up dinner, it's usually boxed mac n' cheese! Cynthia: Yes, that's what I love about rolled cakes! They are fairly simple to make but look really pretty! Diane: I do the same thing! I always buy too many bananas at once and then can't finish them before they are too ripe :-)
    Reply
  27. Julie says

    October 1, 2007 at 4:34 pm

    What a good invention! I've never seen a recipe for a banana roll before and I have no idea why -- it's a sensational idea. I also like the OP's idea of a nutella filling too. Tish Boyle has a recipe for a banana walnut cake that's served with a caramel mascarpone whipped cream which I think would be another great filling for this. Also, thanks for the link to my blog.
    Reply
  28. SusanV says

    October 1, 2007 at 10:38 pm

    Oh, this looks lovely! I'm already thinking of ways to veganize it. What a beautiful photo and presentation.
    Reply
  29. swirlingnotions says

    October 9, 2007 at 10:33 pm

    Wow does this look good! And it's perfect for our house. My husband is a fiend for carrot cake (primarily for the frosting) and we always have overripe bananas around because of our daughter. I'll most CERTAINLY be trying this out. Thanks!
    Reply
  30. kate says

    October 12, 2007 at 1:16 am

    o my god that looks amazing. such a good idea. and something me and my son could make (and eat) together. thanks!
    Reply
  31. Chef Tom says

    October 22, 2007 at 11:00 pm

    This sounds like a very yummy twist on Banana bread. Lucky me has a bunch of over-ripe bananas in my kitchen!
    Reply
  32. Stacey from Best Recipes says

    October 24, 2007 at 6:45 pm

    This recipe looks amazing, another one that I'll need to try out :-) Thank You!
    Reply
  33. Candy says

    October 28, 2007 at 1:58 am

    How do you roll a hot cake without it cracking? Recipe sounds wonderful, but that one instruction had me wondering.
    Reply
  34. Tony says

    October 28, 2007 at 4:14 pm

    Add walnuts to the filling 10 times better.
    Reply
  35. Nicole says

    October 29, 2007 at 3:01 pm

    Candy: This cake actually rolls surprisingly well! It's a sponge cake and they are more pliable than butter cakes. Also it's really thin! Rolling it while warm and letting it cool in the towel makes it easier to roll back up again after filling it. It really does work! Tony: I tried it with walnuts and it was really good!
    Reply
  36. ejm says

    November 14, 2007 at 3:49 pm

    I just made pumpkin cake roll for the first time last week - saw a recipe for it in this month's SAVEUR magazine - the recipe is virtually the same as the pumpkin roll cake you made. I was thinking that I would use the roll technique with whipped cream and chocolate cake (Black Forest Cake). Brilynn alerted me to this post about banana cake roll. Great idea. I bet pecans or walnuts would be a terrific addition. Have you omitted the powdered sugar from the towel? Do you think it's a necessary step for rolling and unrolling the cake? (I found the pumpkin cake to be a bit too sweet) An added bonus to the towel without sugar on it would be that it would be MUCH easier to transfer the hot cake to the towel. -Elizabeth
    Reply
  37. bri says

    November 18, 2007 at 12:59 am

    What a great idea! I love banana bread, but this is a fun way to spiff things up. I made a banana bread this week using coconut oil and it was so fragrant and delicious. I'll have to try out your method sometime. Thanks for the inspiration!
    Reply
  38. steve says

    February 21, 2008 at 2:43 pm

    i still love bannana bread, but i gotta tell you ..that looks super tastey. i'm gonna try this . thnx.
    Reply
  39. KiM says

    March 5, 2008 at 5:27 pm

    This is an amazing recipe ! I've done it over and over and its easily adaptable, esp for extra healthy! and super simple I just pick a blend of types of flours [soy & wheat] and use spenda baking blend instead of sugar, egg whites, and for the spread i use fat free cream cheese, use applesauce instead of butter, add some cinnamon and it's 105% amazing Thanks so much for this recipe! Your website is wonderful :) and I really admire you !
    Reply
  40. Chuck says

    March 11, 2008 at 7:58 pm

    Now, that looks amazingly good. Would love to give that recipe a try!
    Reply
  41. Elizabeth says

    March 28, 2008 at 6:16 am

    This dish got rave reviews from everyone! Absolutely delicious!
    Reply
  42. Shannon says

    May 11, 2008 at 6:48 am

    This is absolutely delicious! Tried and tested recipe with raving reviews. I cooked them something to rave about for sure!
    Reply
  43. Shauna says

    June 6, 2008 at 7:31 am

    This looks scrumptious!!! You should enter it in this banana bread contest: http://thenewstayathomemom.com/moist-banana-bread-recipe-contest The prize is a $50 Sur La Table giftcard. There aren't very many people that have entered the contest either, so it would be pretty easy to win! Plus you'll get more links back to your website! I could do the wrong thing, and enter it myself, but that would be bad karma!!! :)
    Reply
  44. Dalal says

    November 22, 2008 at 1:32 am

    I just made this roll and I must tell you it's delicious!!! Thanks for the recipe :D
    Reply
  45. Cher says

    December 8, 2008 at 1:00 pm

    I'm always looking for ways to use up bananas. I usually freeze them until I'm in the mood for another loaf of Banana Bread. This is a great idea! I just made a pumpkin roll a couple weeks ago, I'm going to give this a try with some of those frozen bananas. Thanks!
    Reply
  46. Christina says

    December 18, 2008 at 2:54 pm

    Do I have to use parchment paper or Wax paper?? I have everything else to make this beautiful banana roll but the paper.. Thanks!!
    Reply
  47. Charlene says

    January 27, 2009 at 5:59 pm

    I have been making and selling banana rolls and pumpkin rolls for years.. The only difference is I add pineapple to my filling. It is to die for. I got the idea from my parents 50th anniversary cake, it was a banana cake with pineapple filling. I loved the combo so much I tried it with the roll and it was an instant hit. Now I sell more banana rolls than pumpkin rolls. Enjoy!!!
    Reply
  48. Libby says

    March 20, 2009 at 10:23 pm

    I love doing cake rolls, so much fun. This goes on my To Do list too!
    Reply
  49. gina's weight watcher recipes says

    April 21, 2009 at 11:23 am

    I could never tire of banana bread either! This is a cute idea, like a braso de reina.
    Reply
  50. Rich Dansereau says

    June 22, 2009 at 3:04 pm

    This sounds incredible! Though I do not like bananas on their own, I love them in breads. This is on the list to make. Thanks!
    Reply
  51. Tanya from Online Colleges says

    September 29, 2009 at 11:11 am

    Hmm I agree, I don't think I could ever get sick of banana bread either, but yum, this looks so delicious. can't wait to make it. Thanks for the recipe.
    Reply
  52. Leah says

    November 26, 2009 at 6:55 am

    Nice twist on an old favorite - will have to bookmark and try your recipe - looks fantastic as well! Good job!
    Reply
  53. Angela says

    December 23, 2009 at 1:40 am

    Oh my god was this good! I have been looking for a new recipe to use up overripe bananas and this one turned out delicious! My husband absolutely loved it! Will be making this again for the holidays! I never fooled with this type of recipe because i thought i would screw it up but this one is foolproof! Thank You so much for posting this recipe!
    Reply
  54. TerryM says

    January 2, 2010 at 12:40 pm

    OMG I'm soooo happy right now! I wanted to make a banana roll and i have a recipe that i got from somewhere-maybe BHG recipe book, but the cream cheese filling was not that great. I have a recipe for pumpkin roll and thought of trying to combine that cream cheese filling with the banana roll cake recipe and then had a second thought to just switch the bananas for the pumpkin in the pumpkin roll recipe. but i was afraid to just try it so i went on a search to find another banana roll recipe and lo & behold I found this! Thank you sooo much for having the guts to just try it out!and letting the rest of us know it went well!
    Reply
  55. Dany says

    January 25, 2010 at 7:30 pm

    where do you add the salt?????????????????????
    Reply
  56. Sook @ My Fabulous Recipes says

    February 19, 2010 at 4:51 pm

    Oh wow! I think I will love this roll! I made a pumpkin roll last year and loved it. This looks like a keeper. I am saving this recipe. Thank you!
    Reply
  57. Richard says

    April 4, 2010 at 7:07 am

    Different, better, will give it a try!
    Reply
  58. Cheap Laptops uk says

    April 21, 2011 at 8:32 am

    I saw everyone of these blogs…. soooo coooool…. I don´t see anything so nice in my country… But I have to tell(write), that your blog is one of the most beautiful from this 47 blogs…sorry 48 with yours. Very good inspiration…thnx
    Reply
  59. mbt co uk says

    April 21, 2011 at 10:48 pm

    I donât usually reply to posts but I will in this case, great infoâ¦I will bookmark your site. Keep up the good work!
    Reply
  60. Metal Wall Sculpture says

    April 28, 2011 at 4:41 pm

    Hmm is anyone else encountering problems with the pictures on this blog loading? I’m trying to figure out if its a problem on my end or if it’s the blog. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
    Reply
  61. lisa says

    May 4, 2011 at 10:24 am

    Very healthy and delicious food. I'd like to make it everyday. My son loves it. strongly recommend!!! http://www.fourgreensteps.com/community/recipes/bread/cherry-banana-coconut-butter-bread
    Reply
  62. Sarah says

    August 16, 2011 at 10:42 am

    This is a great recipe! I just made it. One thing I noticed though is that in the directions you do not mention to mix in the 1/4 tsp of salt listed in the ingredients. Just a heads up that you forgot that little piece of information! It turned out great though anyway! Thanks.
    Reply
  63. Nix Bautista says

    July 29, 2013 at 5:15 am

    I noticed you didn't include butter on your ingredients for the cake? does it really work without butter?
    Reply
  64. Alice says

    September 29, 2013 at 5:48 pm

    This turned out great, I just made it after dinner tonight. No problems with it sticking to the towel, which was what I was worried about. Instead of butter for the filling I substituted a few tablespoons of peanut butter and it was really good.
    Reply
  65. Brooks says

    November 21, 2013 at 2:20 pm

    It looks delicious. Thanks for the share.
    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Blogs With Great Recipes For You to Peruse | Cooking Trainer says:
    October 16, 2007 at 2:52 am
    [...] How could anyone be tired of banana bread? Check out this site for some great recipes: Tired of Banana Bread [...]
    Reply
  2. Friday Faves -- Full Time in NM says:
    December 21, 2007 at 10:20 am
    [...] Banana “Bread” Alternative [...]
    Reply
  3. I have to make these soon…(recipes from the interwebs) « ~LUKLI~ says:
    March 18, 2008 at 9:34 pm
    [...] Tired of Banana Bread? Try this Recipe! [...]
    Reply
  4. monkey see, monkey do « strawberries in paris says:
    March 27, 2008 at 6:33 am
    [...] see, monkey do March 27, 2008 Filed under: Uncategorized — liz2024 @ 9:33 am Pinch my Salt sparked my banana roll inspiration [...]
    Reply
  5. » coconut bourbon banana bread says:
    May 16, 2008 at 10:22 am
    [...] Pinch My Salt’s banana roll [...]
    Reply
  6. Banana Muffins Filled with Cream Cheese? Yes We Can! — Pinch My Salt says:
    October 3, 2008 at 8:48 am
    [...] Banana Cream Cheese Roll [...]
    Reply
  7. Simple Yogurt Cake Recipe — Pinch My Salt says:
    November 3, 2008 at 10:54 am
    [...] Banana Cream Cheese Roll [...]
    Reply
  8. Malted Chocolate Banana Roulade « Tart to Heart says:
    May 19, 2011 at 8:16 am
    [...] from Pinch My Salt [...]
    Reply
  9. Gâteau roulé aux bananes « L'investigatrice culinaire says:
    September 5, 2011 at 8:48 am
    [...] Les recettes ici! Partagez:"Aimer" ceci :"J'aime"Soyez le premier à aimer ce post.   [...]
    Reply
  10. Friday Favorite: Banana Roll says:
    September 23, 2011 at 3:45 am
    [...] roll recipe and exchange banana for pumpkin and remove spices. Simple enough. Option 2: Use the banana roll recipe from Pinch My Salt. I was going to use Option 1 but Brian thought Option 2 would be fluffier so I [...]
    Reply
  11. Grain-Free Paleo Banana Bread Recipe says:
    November 8, 2013 at 5:19 pm
    […] Banana Cake Roll with Cream Cheese Filling […]
    Reply

Leave a Reply to KiM Cancel reply

Primary Sidebar

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Posts by Category

Posts by Date

Copyright © 2019 · Privacy · Terms and Conditions