Banana Bread Cake topped with the fluffiest cream cheese frosting! Garnish this banana cake with fresh banana slices and chopped walnuts. This cake recipe is the perfect way to use up old browned bananas. Super moist, fresh banana flavor, and it bakes up perfectly each time.
BANANA BREAD CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
I secretly love it when the bananas go brown because that just means I can make this amazing banana bread cake, these cinnamon banana muffins or one of my favorite quick bread recipes this lemon blueberry banana bread.
Everything mixes in just one bowl and then the banana cake bakes up in a 9x13 baking dish. Top it off with a luscious & rich cream cheese frosting and then garnish with chopped walnuts and banana slices.
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST BANANA BREAD CAKE
I think the "secret ingredient" in this banana cake is the sour cream. It provides a richness and creaminess that you just won't get with any other ingredient. And I tell you what, I am not even a fan of frosting but I love this cake piled thick with that cream cheese frosting.
I am one of those weird people that scrapes the frosting off of my cake. But not this cake 🙂
Butter - I use salted butter for everything.
Granulated Sugar
Large Eggs
Sour Cream - Please use the full fat sour cream. It tastes the best and it's thicker than the light sour cream.
Vanilla Extract
All-Purpose Flour, Baking Soda, Salt
Mashed Banana - You will need about 3-4 browned bananas for this recipe.
The cream cheese frosting is a simple mixture of butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and heavy cream. The cake and frosting call for very simple baking ingredients and yet this is one of the best cakes I've ever had. I love those simple recipes that produce something amazing.
TIPS & HELPFUL HINTS FOR THIS CAKE RECIPE
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Use heavy whipping cream in the cream cheese frosting!
- This is probably my #1 tip for this banana cake. Heavy cream or heavy whipping cream (same thing but sometimes labeled in two different ways) is what makes that cream cheese frosting so rich but fluffy at the same time. You just won't achieve that same result with any other milk.
- If you do use anything other than the heavy cream then you will need less of the milk in the frosting. So start at like a teaspoon at a time until your desired consistency is reached. This is only for milks other than heavy cream.
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Use full-fat sour cream
- For best taste, richness, and texture use the real stuff. It tastes much better and it's thick. The lighter sour cream will work in the recipe but it does not taste as good and it's not as thick as the real stuff.
- If I am taking the time to bake and then eating the dessert then I want it to taste amazing. Which is why, when it comes to baking, it's never the right time to make it healthy or low calorie.
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Can I make banana bread cake ahead of time?
- Yes you can. I actually prefer making this cake the day before. Anything banana related always tastes better the next day.
- I make the cake the day before and let it cool completely in the pan. I then wrap the pan in tin foil and let it sit at room temperature overnight. A few hours before I need to serve the cake I will frost it and then cover it well with tin foil and store it in the fridge for a couple hours before serving. I think this banana cake tastes better slightly cold.
- Right before serving garnish the cake with banana slices and chopped walnuts if wanted.
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Make sure the cake is completely cooled before frosting
- You want the cake to be completely cooled before frosting so you don't get cake crumbs all over the frosting.
- I like to make the cake the day before and let it cool and then let it sit at room temperature, covered, overnight and into the next day until I frost it for serving.
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Do I eat banana cake cold or at room temperature?
- Either way is delicious! Trust me you can't go wrong with this one.
- I prefer this cake slightly cold when I eat it but that does not mean that it's not good at room temperature.
- Experiment with both and see which one you prefer.
YOU WILL LOVE THESE OTHER BANANA DESSERT RECIPES
No Bake Banana Pudding Pie - An easy no bake pie made with banana cream pudding & fresh whipped cream inside a graham cracker crust. No browned, mushy bananas in this banana cream pie which is just how I like it.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread - A delicious quick bread recipe with peanut butter, mashed banana, and chocolate chips.
Banana Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread - Another quick bread recipe that uses pure pumpkin, mashed bananas, and chocolate chips. The perfect Fall treat.
Chewy Banana Oatmeal Cookies - Chewy and soft banana cookies with oatmeal and brown sugar.
Amazing Banana Bread Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Banana Cake
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter softened
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup sour cream full-fat is best
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup mashed bananas about 3 bananas
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter softened
- 1 bar (8 oz) cream cheese full-fat is best
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°. Prepare a 9x13 baking dish and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl with a hand mixer, or use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. The mixture will look crumbled but beat it for a couple minuntes and it will start to look fluffy.
- Add eggs, sour cream, and vanilla. Blend together until combined and creamy.
- Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Blend on low speed just until combined.
- Add mashed banana and gently stir together. Dump batter into the baking dish and spread out evenly.
- Cook for 25-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out with moist crumbs or nothing at all. If a toothpick comes out with wet batter then you need to cook it slightly longer. The edges and top will be light browned.
- Let cake cool completely before frosting.Once cake is cooled you can either frost it right away and serve OR cover it tightly with tin foil and let it sit at room temperature overnight and then frost it before serving.
Make Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese together until combined. Add in vanilla extract, powdered sugar, and heavy cream. Beat together, starting on low speed and increase as needed, until frosting forms. Add more powdered sugar and/or milk until desired frosting consistencey is reached. I never have to add more milk or powdered sugar than what's called for. You want the frosting really thick so it will cut nice. * NOTE: If you use anything other than heavy whipping cream start with 1 tablespoon and work from there. Heavy cream is so thick that you need more of it, lower fat milks you will need less of.
- Cut into squares and garnish each piece with banana slices and chopped walnuts.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
An older picture of banana bread cake from the older post before it was updated
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