Layer Cakes
Banana & Graham Cracker Cookie Dough Cheesecake Cake
Tender banana cake layered with graham cracker cookie dough and a cool, creamy cheesecake frosting.
Prep
1 hr
Bake
22–26 min
Total
About 3 1/2 hr, including cooling and chilling
Yield
One 3-layer 8-inch cake
A note from my kitchen
Before you bake this
This cake brings together soft banana cake, graham cracker cookie dough, and a creamy cheesecake frosting in every slice. The banana layers are tender and warmly flavored, while the graham cookie dough adds that unmistakable buttery, toasted-cracker flavor between each tier.
The cheesecake frosting is made without butter, so it stays especially creamy and gives the cake a true cheesecake-like finish. It is also more delicate than a traditional buttercream, which means temperature matters: chill the frosting until firm, work efficiently while assembling, and return both the frosting and cake to the refrigerator whenever they begin to soften.
If this is your first filled layer cake, use a conservative amount of cookie dough and frosting between the layers. You will still get every flavor in each bite, with a little more insurance against shifting or collapsing.
Save me a slice ;)
Read this first
The quick notes.
Flavor
Ripe banana, vanilla bean, tangy cheesecake, and graham cracker.
Texture
Tender banana cake, soft cookie dough, and cool, creamy frosting.
Best moment
The first clean slice, with every banana, graham, and cheesecake layer in view.
Pan check
Pan and oven notes
Even layers
For layer cakes, a scale is the easiest way to divide batter evenly between pans. If you do not have one, eyeballing it is completely fine; just aim for the pans to look as even as possible.
Oven personality
My oven runs very fast, so the lower end of the bake time reflects a fast oven. For layer cakes, sheet cakes, lava cakes, poke cakes, and snack cakes, a slower oven may land near the higher end and, at most, about 5 minutes beyond it. Begin checking at the lower end and use the visual cues in the recipe to decide when the cake is done.
Pan material
I test with Fat Daddio's anodized aluminum pans. For silicone molds, place the mold on a rigid baking sheet before filling so it stays supported as it moves in and out of the oven. Begin checking at the lower end of the recipe's range and allow up to about 5 additional minutes when needed. The cake is ready when the center is set, springs back lightly, and a tester shows a few moist crumbs with no wet batter, or when it reaches the internal temperature listed in the recipe. Let the layers complete their listed pan-rest time before unmolding.
Ingredient notes
Key ingredients
Very ripe bananas
Use deeply speckled, fragrant bananas and mash them until smooth. Their moisture, sweetness, and concentrated banana flavor form the backbone of the cake layers.
Graham cracker crumbs
Grind the graham crackers finely so the cookie dough holds together cleanly and can be shaped into even rounds without large, dry pieces.
Cream cheese
This frosting contains no butter, so the cream cheese provides all of its structure. Use a firm block-style cream cheese and keep the finished frosting refrigerated until it is cold and firm.
Lemon juice
The lemon juice brightens the cream cheese and adds a familiar cheesecake tang. Use it to taste or omit it when your cream cheese already has the tang you enjoy.
A note on vanilla
Why I love vanilla bean paste
I reach for vanilla bean paste because it brings a full, rounded vanilla flavor and those beautiful little vanilla-bean flecks. It is one of my favorite ways to make a familiar bake feel a little more special, but vanilla extract is perfectly lovely here too. Use what you have and what you enjoy.
Brand notes
Brands that matter here
For the ingredients where brand choice changes texture, set, or flavor, these are the tested options I use.
Yogurt
Plain unsweetened yogurt
Plain unsweetened yogurt adds moisture, acidity, and body so the crumb bakes up tender without tasting tangy.
- 01Forager Unsweetened Plain Yogurt
- 02Silk Plain Unsweetened Yogurt
Milk
Milk
Milk affects how smoothly a batter, filling, or frosting comes together. Soy milk and Ripple tend to emulsify well because their protein and fat help create a creamy, cohesive finish.
- 01Silk Original Unsweet
- 02Plain unsweetened soy milk
- 03Ripple Original
- 04Oatly Barista Edition
Butter sticks
Butter sticks
Use butter sticks for buttercream and fillings that need to hold their shape.
- 01Country Crock Plant Butter Sticks
- 02Violife Plant Butter Sticks
- 03Earth Balance
- 04Miyoko's
Cream cheese
Cream cheese
For no-bake cheesecake, use Violife Cream Cheese Bricks. For baked cheesecake, use Tofutti. Do not use Violife for baked cheesecake in my recipes.
- 01Philadelphia Plant-Based Cream Cheese
- 02Violife Cream Cheese Bricks
- 03Tofutti
Testing notes
Why this works
The one-bowl cake method
I love a one-bowl cake whenever it makes sense. It keeps the recipe simple, saves a little time, and leaves fewer dishes behind. The sugars and wet ingredients go into one large bowl first, followed by the dry ingredients in that same bowl.
Why the frosting stays cold
A butter-free cream cheese frosting softens quickly as it warms. Refrigerate it until firm before assembly, work with purpose, and return the bowl and cake to the refrigerator whenever the frosting starts to loosen.
How much filling to use
Keep each filling layer even and modest, especially if you are new to tall cakes. Overfilling adds pressure between the layers and makes the stack more likely to shift or collapse.
Why the flour is heat-treated
The graham cracker cookie dough is not baked after mixing, so the all-purpose flour must be heated to 165°F and cooled completely before it goes into the dough.
Why the finished cake chills
A thorough chill firms the frosting and cookie-dough layers, helps the cake settle, and makes the first slices much cleaner.
How it comes together
From Instagram
Watch the reel
Watch the banana cake, graham cracker cookie dough, and chilled cheesecake frosting come together layer by layer.
Open the reelSmall things that matter
Tips for the best cake
Use block-style cream cheese rather than a soft spread from a tub for the strongest frosting.
Have the cold cake layers, chilled cookie-dough rounds, cake board, and tools ready before removing the frosting from the refrigerator.
If the frosting begins to soften, refrigerate the frosting and the partially assembled cake until both are firm again, then continue.
Keep the filling layers modest and level so the cake stacks straight and stays supported.
Heat-treat the all-purpose flour to 165°F and cool it completely before making the cookie dough.
Before you slice
Texture and serving notes
Serve the cake slightly chilled for the creamiest cheesecake texture and the cleanest layers.
Use a hot, dry knife and wipe it clean between cuts.
Keep it good
Storage
Fridge
Store the assembled cake covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Fridge
Chill the finished cake for at least 1 hour, and preferably 2 hours, before slicing.
Serve
Let individual slices sit at room temperature for 10–15 minutes before serving.
Recipe FAQ
Questions that come up
Why is my cheesecake frosting getting soft?
This frosting is made without butter, so it is naturally more delicate than buttercream. Refrigerate the frosting and cake until firm whenever either begins to soften, then continue assembling.
Can I use dairy cream cheese?
Yes. Use firm block-style dairy cream cheese and omit the lemon juice if you prefer; dairy cream cheese already provides plenty of tang.
Can I make the cake ahead?
Yes. Bake and chill the cake layers and prepare the cookie dough up to 2 days ahead. Make and chill the frosting, then assemble the cake while every component is cold and firm.
How do I keep the layers from sliding?
Use cold cake layers, firm chilled frosting, and conservative, even filling layers. Chill the cake as soon as the layers are stacked so the structure can set before the final coat.
Did you make this?
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