Banana Berry Chiffon Cake from Scratch

If you love banana bread but you’re looking for something lighter, fluffier, and with a hint of berry flavor, this is the recipe for you! This simple from scratch banana chiffon cake is simple and foolproof! 

What is a Chiffon Cake? 

A chiffon cake is a type of light and airy sponge cake that originated in the United States in the 1920s. It gets its unique texture and structure from the combination of ingredients and the specific method used to make it.

A chiffon cake is known for being moist, tender, and fluffy, similar to a sponge cake, but with a slightly different texture. No doubt you’ve enjoyed a few springy angel food cakes in your lifetime already!

It’s all about the Fat Component

Sounds gross, right? But when it comes to cake, it really is all about the fat component, and there are so many to choose from! .

Chiffon cakes incorporate vegetable oil, instead of butter, as the fat component. The oil helps to keep the cake moist and tender.

These cakes also include beaten egg whites, which give them their light and airy texture. The egg whites are whipped separately and then folded into the batter, which adds volume and creates a delicate crumb. (This is the fun part, y’all!)

Chiffon Cakes are Baked in a Tube Pan

Chiffon cakes are usually baked in a tube pan, which has a hollow center that allows the heat to distribute evenly throughout the batter, which helps with even baking and rising. 

After baking, chiffon cakes are cooled upside down in the pan to prevent them from collapsing and to allow them to maintain their light texture. Once cooled, it is typically served plain or with a dusting of powdered sugar, but it can also be frosted or filled with various creams or fruit.

Overall, chiffon cakes are well loved for their lightness, moistness, and delicate flavor. Talk about a popular choice for your special occasion! 

Can I use Bananas in a Chiffon cake? 

That was the question on my mind as I perused the web for a light “from scratch” cake with bananas. 

It’s not like I haven’t baked banana cake before. My Banana Berry cake is divine, but it starts with a box of cake mix.

And my Strawberry Banana Loaf is delicious, but it’s not a chiffon texture. 

This time I wanted something light and airy. It’s hot here in south Texas today and a dense cake just doesn’t seem appropriate for our icky, humid weather.

Cool and light sounds just about right! So, a Banana Berry Chiffon Cake will certainly do the trick. I found a variety of different recipes online but they were all very similar, but in the end I went with the one I found at Chew Out Loud. I made a couple of tweaks, of course. I can’t seem to follow any recipe verbatim.

Banana Berry Chiffon Cake Ingredients

You will find a full printable recipe card at the bottom of this post but here’s a quick peek at what you’ll need. These are simple ingredients you might already have on hand. 

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 bananas
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 5 eggs, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon Cream of tartar
• 1/2 – 1 cup chopped/floured berries (optional)

How to Make this Lovely Banana Chiffon Cake

You can easily make this moist banana cake recipe with oil. And you’re going to love the results!

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Divide eggs and set egg whites aside. 

Mash two bananas and set aside. 

Chop berries into small pieces and lightly dust with a tablespoon of flour. Set aside. 

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. 

Form a well in the center of the dry ingredients.  

Add oil, water, and egg yolks. 

Add mashed bananas. 

Mix it all together. 

In a separate bowl whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar for 4 minutes at high speed until they form soft peaks. You can do this with an electric mixer or using the whisk attachment in your stand mixer, if you have one.

Fold and egg white mixture into the batter.

Mix well but don’t knock the air out of the batter. 

Now it’s time to gently fold in your berries. (Check out that airy cake batter!)

Pour batter into an ungreased tube pan. Use a rubber spatula to make sure you get all of the batter from the sides of the bowl.

Place pan in preheated 325 degree oven. (Be careful! You don’t want to open the door while this one is initially baking or it will collapse!)

Bake for a full hour or until golden brown. 

How to Cool this Tube Cake

Remove from the oven and invert pan on a wire cooling rack. Martha Stewart says you should leave it to cool for a full hour. I think I removed mine in slightly less time than that.

Once the pan is cool, run a knife or offset spatula around the sides of the pan to loosen the cake.

Grab the center and pull up. The two pieces of the pan should pull apart easily. (One of the benefits of the tube pan is the bottom piece that separates from the sides, which makes this process easier.)

Flip onto a serving plate and pull off the second piece.

Allow to continue cooling.

If you like, you can add a powdered sugar glaze on top of the cooled cake. 

Alternatively, you can sprinkle your fluffy cake with powdered sugar. 

Another option would be a berry glaze. (Yum!) 

Slice and serve!

This cake can be left at room temperature or stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container or covered in plastic wrap. I like my fruity cakes cold, so I refrigerated mine. 

You can serve this one with a scoop of ice cream with berry compote on top, if you like. It’s the perfect summer dessert!

What to Expect from this Cake

Some of the recipes I found online called for more egg whites but I wanted to use equal number yolks and whites. That said, I wasn’t sure the cake would be airy enough.

To my surprise and delight, it was light, fluffy, and had just enough banana flavor without feeling (or tasting) like a heavy banana bread. 

I absolutely love these light and breezy chiffon cakes. They’ve always been a favorite. (Let’s face it, they don’t leave you feeling like you’ve got a lump in your stomach!)

I’m particularly fond of berries and bananas together. If I’d had more berries on hand I would have added a full cup. 

Why Invert a Tube Cake Pan?

I gave this a lot of thought as my cake cooled. Here are some “reasons” I came up with:

You want the heavier part of the cake on bottom. If you cool the cake with the narrow part on bottom, the top could potentially weigh it down, causing the sides to buckle.

You want the metal top portion to cool completely in the air. If you place the metal on bottom, it will take longer to cool and could cause moisture in the cake.

When you allow the wide portion on bottom you’re encouraging the cake to eventually fall loose from the pan, due to gravity. This is a larger cake and takes a bit longer to cool down.

There are probably more professional opinions out there, but those are the benefits I thought of.

Variations on this Recipe

Here are some fun ways you could mix this up: 

Replace the blackberries with raspberries. I think this would be a delicious combination, especially if you opted for a berry glaze on top. And remember to always use fresh berries, not canned or frozen.

Blueberries: If you like the color combination of blue and yellow but you’re not a fan of blackberries or raspberries, then go with whole blueberries. It’s particularly important that you flour them, as blueberries release a lot of juice into the cake. (You don’t want a soggy chiffon!) 

Skip the berries: Make a basic banana chiffon cake and add a bit of caramel glaze on top. 

Another “drizzle” option would be cookie butter. Thin some down in the microwave and drizzle it on. (If you haven’t tried cookie butter you don’t know what you’re missing!) 

Serve with fresh fruit and whipped cream. (I always loved strawberry shortcake, especially the berries and whipped cream!)

Other Banana Favorites from Out of the Box Baking

Banana Blueberry Loaf with Streusel Topping: This is another banana berry creation but this loaf is heavy and loaded with crunchy streusel topping. 

Easy Banana Dump Cake:

This one starts with a box of cake mix and is insanely easy and delicious! 

Old Fashioned Banana Bread with Mayonnaise

This is my go-to recipe and it’s over-the-top! 

Easy Caramel Banana Cake: Rich, delectable, perfect! 

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That’s it for this post, friends! I hope you enjoyed this delicious chiffon cake recipe. It’s as easy as 1-2-3!

See this recipe at

Full Plate Thursday 

Weekend Potluck

The Lazy Gastronome

Busy Monday

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About the Author

Janice Thompson is an author, baker, and all-around mischief maker! She has overcome a host of baking catastrophes, including a toppled wedding cake, to learn more about the baking process. Janice has published over 150 books for the Christian market but particularly enjoys writing recipes and baking devotions. To learn more about Janice or to drop her a note, visit her About the Author page.