There’s banana bread, and then there’s banana cake with cream cheese frosting!!! Both are a great way to use up those ripe bananas on your kitchen counter, but this banana cake is so tender and moist, you’ll be making it on repeat!
Why I love this easy banana cake:
Banana cake is one of my favorites for so many reasons!!! It’s so moist, it practically melts in your mouth, it’s full of sweet banana flavor, and comes together in one bowl! This recipe is so easy, anyone can make it!
How to make the best banana cake with cream cheese icing:
- Mix: You’ll start by creaming together the butter and sugar, then proceed by adding the remaining wet ingredients. Lastly, you’ll mix in the dry ingredients!
- Bake: Transfer the batter to a greased baking pan and let it do it’s thing in the oven until it’s golden brown, puffed and completely cooked through!
- Frost: This cream cheese icing is a staple in my kitchen and absolutely delicious on this cake! Whip it until smooth and smear it all over the surface of the cooled cake!
There’s no frills or special skills needed for this cake! This is one of those old fashioned recipes that’s just down right delicious. There’s so much moisture from the bananas and sour cream that even if you over-bake the cake, it won’t be dry. There’s no right or wrong way to decorate with the cream cheese icing either! In fact, I recommend slathering it right on top and diving in!
What you’ll need for this one bowl banana cake:
Wet ingredients:
- Butter: salted or unsalted both work!
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs
- Sour Cream
- Vanilla extract
- Mashed ripe bananas: the riper your bananas, the more delicious the cake will be!
Dry ingredients:
- All-purpose flour
- Ground cinnamon
- Baking soda
Frosting ingredients:
- Softened butter
- Softened cream cheese
- Vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar
- Heavy whipping cream
Make this cake your own with some optional add in’s! If you want a variety in texture, sprinkle chopped walnuts or pecans into the cake batter. If you want chocolate, mini chocolate chips work great in this cake as well!
My top tips for delicious banana cake with cream cheese frosting:
- Use very ripe bananas: The more ripe your bananas are, the sweeter they’ll be! Ideally the exterior skins of your bananas will be completely brown and the interior will be very mushy before baking.
- Make sure the butter and cream cheese are softened to room temperature: You’ll want softened butter for the cake batter as well as the frosting. Using softened butter and cream cheese ensures they’ll incorporate into the cake batter and frosting without leaving any lumps behind.
- Use your senses before removing the cake from the oven. This cake is so moist that sometimes testing it with a toothpick for doneness won’t give you accurate readings. Instead, you’ll want to see that the entire surface of the cake is golden brown and domed on top. It’s important the center feels firm to the touch when you press lightly as well.
- If you can, use an electric mixer for the frosting: An electric mixer does wonders for incorporating air into the butter and cream cheese, leaving it very light and fluffy!
FAQ:
Sure! I love the flavor of cinnamon and always feel like it compliments banana breads and cakes nicely but you can skip it all together if it’s not your thing!
Yes! You can cut the measurements in half and bake it in a 9×9 or 8×8 pan to feed a smaller crowd. I’m warning you though that even the 9×13 size version of this cake is so delicious, it’ll be gone in no time!
Definitely! The cream just helps loosen the frosting and make it super creamy but since it’s such a small amount, milk should do the trick too!
I cover this cake with aluminum foil right in the pan and leave it on the counter for up to 5 days! It’s so tender and moist that it keeps for several days, even though it’s so delicious, it’ll be gone before then!!!
Banana Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
- 1 whisk
Ingredients
For the cake batter
- 1/2 cup softened butter 1 stick
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas about 4 bananas
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking soda
For the frosting:
- 1/2 cup softened butter 1 stick
- (1) 8 oz softened block cream cheese
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 tbsp heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease your 9×13 baking pan. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together softened butter and sugar.
- Crack in the eggs, then add the sour cream, vanilla extract and mashed bananas. Whisk until smooth (it's ok if there's a few lumps of banana).
- Once mixed, fold in the flour, ground cinnamon and baking soda to form a batter.
- Transfer the batter to your prepared baking pan and bake for 30-35 minutes.
For the frosting:
- While the cake is baking, add softened butter and softened cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer. Whip until light and fluffy.
- Add in the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing in between to avoid a big mess!
- Lastly, add the heavy whipping cream and vanilla extract. Mix one more time until the frosting is extremely smooth and creamy.
- Using an offset spatula, spread the frosting on the surface of the cooled cake.
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