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
- ½ 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
- ½ 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
Love the Banana bread cake recipe. My favorite version. Yum!
Thanks Kris! It's one of my favorite versions too.
I’ve been craving for a banana cake and waiting for my bananas to ripen up. I stumbled on this recipe which looks very moist and so easy to make.
I’m definitely going to make this within a couple of days. Thank you for the recipe!
I hope you love it! Enjoy 🙂
I doubled the recipe and made some for the kids' teachers and our coworkers... everyone loved the cake! Some even said it was the best banana dessert they've ever eaten! Thanks for the great recipe!
This makes me so happy to hear! Thank you for coming back to leave your comment.
Can this recipe be used for high altitude or does it need to be adjusted for high altitude.
I live in high altitude (Utah) and this recipe works great. We actually lived in Maryland not too long ago and this recipe also baked up perfectly there. So I think you will be fine either way.
Such a delicious recipe! I made it as cupcakes... so tasty!
Wondering if anyone knows how to adjust baking time/temp for cupcakes? Thanks!
I have never made this banana cake as cupcakes. It would probably be the same cook time as a cupcake recipe. I can't say for sure this recipe would work for cupcakes as it might not rise like it should. The recipe was designed to be baked as a cake. But you could always experiment and let me know how it goes.
I have some questions? Did you bake at the same temp? How long of different temp? We're they still moist? I've made the cake and loved it!!
Sooooo yummy! I put 1 teaspoon cinnamon in the cream cheese frosting and it was fantastic. To die for!
Thank you so much for sharing your banana cake recipe. My husband wished for this type cake for his birthday and your recipe was perfect! Moist cake, creamy frosting. All your little side tips were very helpful.
So glad it was helpful! And I’m happy you found a banana cake for your husband. Thanks for your sweet comment.
So how long would baking time be for layer cake? (Want to make birthday cake for my grandson)!
Your help would be much appreciated!
Hi! I have never tried a layer cake but it would work just fine. Not sure if you will need 2 or 3 round cake pans..... but for the cook time I would follow the recommendation on a cake box for a round cake. I just checked one that I have and it says 2 9" round cake pans cook for 23-29 minutes. I would start at 20 or 23 minutes and check from there.
This Banana Cake is so good. Thanks for the recipe.
This recipe is yummmmy! But, wanted to say that I only added 1 cup of honey and I used Einkorn flour, it was a bit runny and it took about an hour to bake! I greased a loaf pan and then lined it with Parchment paper. I took it out of the pan too soon as when I put it down on the rack, it sunk down as it was so heavy and moist. I think if I had left it in the pan longer to cool it would have kept its shape. But, it was 'to die for'!
Thanks for sharing. I also used a smidget more salt as 1/4 tsp isn't enough for 2 cups of flour.
I just realized I dont have eggs! Can I use meringue powder as a substitute?
I am not familiar with meringue powder so I can't say for sure. So sorry!
Do you use salted butter or non salted?
I always use salted butter for everything.
I had this bookmarked for a while and finally made it today. Was very easy to make with not too many ingredients and it turned out just like the pictures! Light and yummy and the icing was perfect! I will be making this again for sure. Thank you so much!!
May I just say that this is the first banana cake that I have made that actually didn’t come out dense!? I’m good for over mixing.. I just can’t resist! Anyway, it came out so beautiful.. light and fluffy. Thank you so much for the recipe and the tips. You rock!
SO happy to hear this! I agree, banana baked goods can be really dense sometimes. Thank you for leaving your review and comment. I appreciate it.
If you wanted to add walnuts, how much would you add? Can’t wait to try it!
I would add like 1/2 cup - 1 cup of walnuts in with the mashed bananas. It really just depends on how many nuts you want in the cake. Enjoy!
This is the best recipe. Tastes incredible. Nice job! Do you think I could put chopped walnuts in the batter without ruining the integrity of the cake?
I am sure that would be fine to add the walnuts. Great idea.
Excellent cake’ moist and delicious. I added an extra banana to cake and a tablespoon of Kahlua and a tablespoon of instant banana pudding mix to the cream cheese frosting. Amazing,!
Your idea to put banana pudding in the frosting is great. Do u know if u add 1 tbl instant pudding to a cup of whipped cream it stableizes it? Happy baking.
Great recipe! Made this cake for my dad's Father's Day dessert. Didn't touch it until it had some overnight fridge time to get it nice & cold. He absolutely loved it & was sad when he ate the last piece. He made me promise to make it again for him soon. 🙂
Just baked this for a staff meeting. Theme is "childhood" favorite foods. I don't know many children that don't like bananas. Will let you know how it goes over.
I’m preemptively giving this 5 stars. It’s still in the oven, but the batter was so yummy! The cream cheese frosting is perfect. I appreciate the tip for using less milk since I didn’t have heavy whipping cream. It’s gonna be so hard waiting for the cake to cool!
I hope you love it! I made this the other day with some ripe bananas I just had to get rid of 🙂 Enjoy.
My husbands business partner will come over every week or so for them to go over paperwork. I always try to have something made for them to snack on , well I made this cake and it is now requested, all the time. I have been busy and haven't made it in a few weeks, so my husbands partner bought bananas and brought them over for me, my husband said he is really hungry for this cake!!! I have used a few different recipes but this one is my favorite and everyone who has had it when I make it loves this cake!!!!
I love this! Comments like this make my day. Thank you for taking the time to let me know 🙂
I made this today. I brought some to my colleagues to share. Everyone loved it. I could’ve brought more if I knew it would be this hit! This recipe is one for the books, for sure. Thank you.
Let me start by saying this is the 1st time I have written a review, but I just had too. This cake was so delicious!! My whole family loved it! I was looking for a dessert to use my ripening bananas and decided on this one. I followed the recipe pretty close. I had 3 bananas so it was a little over a cup. Also 2 cups of powdered sugar was good for me. Can't wait to eat more tomorrow. Definitely a make again. Thanks!
I feel honored to be your first review 🙂 Thank you so much for making the recipe and coming back to comment. I appreciate it and I am so happy to hear it was a hit.
We are voting your recipe "Crazy Good!"
Substituted homemade Greek yogurt for the sour cream.
Absolutely DELICIOUS!
THANK YOU!
Totally delicious! Great when cold for sure!
Easy and delicious! Thank you=)
This cake has become one of my families favorite. The frosting is the best. It's the first thing I think to make with my over ripe bananas. I took the time to write this while my cream cheese and butter get to room tempreture 😉
I’m just wondering if the calorie count for this cake is 420 per portion or the whole cake??
Also, if I opt not to add the frosting, are you able to tell me how many calories it would be then...??
I actually inputed the information wrong the first time. It has since been changed. The serving size for this cake is 18 slices (not 15, it was a typo along with the nutrition facts which were based off of 15). A serving size of 15 is really big portions. 18 is more normal. The calorie count with the correct serving size I believe is around 350. I don't know the nutrition for just the cream cheese frosting recipe. It computes it as a whole recipe.
Can I make the frosting a day Or two in advance? Or would it not hold up?? I’m traveling and making things 2days before and want to know if I have to make frosting the day of or if it should hold up overnight ?
The frosting would hold up just fine making it ahead of time. I would not make it too far ahead of time (like only overnight or 1 day before is all I would do) because the frosting will start to separate I am afraid. With the milk and cream cheese in it. I actually love the frosting cold on this banana cake so making it the day before would work just fine. Then you can frost it before serving.
So fantastic!!! I am not a good cook at all but the recipe was easy for me to follow and turned out DELICIOUS!! Fluffy and moist and sooooo tasty. I actually served mine slightly warm with melty frosting. Heavenly!
Oh yum! I am sure the cake would be delicious served warm with the melty frosting. I may have to try that! So happy to hear you had success with this recipe. Thank you for coming back to comment and let me know.
I made the banana cake tonight for my fiancé and he loved it. I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out moist and delicious. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe with my family. God bless you.
Thank you for your kind comment. I love to hear that the recipes were a success so thanks for coming back to leave your comment.
I make this recipe every holiday. This is a family favorite. I always add a couple extra bananas to the recipe. Adds more flavor?
Very moist and addictive. I added a cup of walnuts for the nut lover. I didn’t even ice the cake. It doesn’t need the icing. 5 stars for sure. Very easy to make.
I love the banana cake recipe thank you!!
My kids love Banana Muffins.
Had 4 almost black bananas and searched Pinterest for a Banana Cake recipe.
It's in the oven now.
Serving it for Easter tomorrow. I have no doubt by all these Rave Reviews that it will be Delish!
Thanks for the recipe!!!
I've had Pinterest fails in time past, but this recipe right here is amazing!! I did add walnuts. The icing!? OMG!! Will be my "go to" cream cheese icing for anything cream cheese!! I took a couple of pieces to coworkers and it's been the talk of the clinic! I'm feeling the pressure do I'll have to make two!! I can't decide if I want you eat it cold or room temp?? LOL!!
Made this and it was so delicious! I took some to several neighbors who also loved this! Shared your recipe website with them. Thank you!
Love this recipe!! Everyone that try’s it always asks me for the recipe. I use less powdered sugar in frosting, I don’t like it super sweet. Thank you for sharing this wonderful and delicious recipe!
I have 12 Grandchildren and none of them like Bananas but they definitely didn't have any problems with eating this cake😊 and I decided to not tell the kids that it was made with Bananas until they were done eating hehe so I'm very happy with this recipe and I'll definitely only make this cake from now on. It's a keeper. Thanks so much for the recipe and I'm looking forward to seeing other recipes that you post..
This recipe is CRAZY GOOD! I made 2 - 8x8 cakes. One, I froze after baking and frosting. Froze beautifully. Needed a quick dessert, so pulled out of the freezer and thawed on counter for 2 hours.
It tasted as if I'd just baked it. Super moist; not too sweet. Excellent texture. Definitely making this cake again!
Light and fluffy cake - even worked at high altitude!! Lovely, tangy frosting. Will be making this again soon. Thank you!
I have made this twice. My husband buys bananas now and doesn't eat them so I will make it again. Easy and delicious. Definitely my go to recipe for ripe bananas now
I made this cake yesterday and frosted it today. I added walnuts to the cake along with cinnamon and nutmeg. It turned out simply delicious . Thank you for the recipe.
I was excited to make cake rather than bread for once. This cake is outstanding. I cook with bananas weekly. It also made me think of my Mother, I realized she used to make this back in the 50’s and 60’s. It really brought back memories of my childhood. I am thrilled to have this recipe. Thank you
You're so welcome! Thank you for trying the recipe and coming back to leave your comment and feedback. I appreciate it.
This is 5 star for sure. I brought it to a family gathering and it was a hit everyone loved it. I heard the word amazing so many times, so the title is spot on. Definitely a winner. Thank you for sharing
I love hearing stuff like that! Thank you for making the recipe and coming back to let me know how it went. I really do appreciate it.
Super moist and delicious! It doesn't even need the icing. I added one cup of chopped walnuts to the batter. Excellent cake!
Yay! I also love adding some walnuts to the cake. Thank you for trying the recipe and coming back to leave your comment and feedback. I appreciate it.
I just wanted to say this recipe is AMAZING! I came back to print the recipe, as I am about to make it a second time, and I know I will be making it for years to come. It is going in our favorite recipe stash. Thank you for sharing!
Best Wishes,
Ina
This is my new favorite recipe for my ripe bananas. So moist and the frosting is to die for! This is my husband’s new favorite dessert. So much better than my usual banana bread. Love it! Thanks so much for a great recipe.
I have always made banana bread with my overripe bananas, but no more! This banana cake is so moist and the frosting is absolutely perfect. I have made this twice with walnuts in the last two weeks. We like to keep it in the refrigerator and then microwave a slice for 10 seconds. Delicious!
Absolutely delicious!
Hi. Can I use a bundt pan? How long does it need to bake? Thanks
It should work to use a bundt pan. However, keep in mind that the bundt pan is deeper which may require a longer baking time so make sure to check it frequently for doneness until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Also, if the top starts to brown more than your liking try covering with parchment paper to deflect some heat.
Made this today! Could easily be made into bars if you wanted to. So delish! Texture is spot on, flavor is perfect and it really just hits the spot! Thank you! Will be on repeat for sure!!
Thank you so much for your review and kind comment!!
This was absolutely delicious! I added 1 cup of chopped walnuts, but other than that I made the recipe as written. Definitely a keeper! Thanks for sharing this great cake!
Thank you for your compliments! So glad it worked to add the nuts, I love hearing about how people adapt the recipes!
I absolutely loved this and so did everyone I made it for! Just wondering how can I make these into cookies?? Is it possible??
I know it is possible to convert a cake recipe to make cookies, however I know it can be tricky and I have never done it with this recipe. Here is an article though that can walk you through the process though, hopefully it helps! https://happymuncher.com/how-to-turn-a-cake-recipe-into-cookies/
This was an extremely delicious cake. Will definitely make it again.
Thank you for your comment! So glad to hear you liked it.
Not sure what happened. my cake sank in the middle after I took it out of the oven. Do you think it could have been because I baked it in a glass baking dish. it was golden brown on top and I wasn't sure if it would get too dark on the bottom and sides. I haven't cut into it yet so I'm not sure how the texture is gonna turn out.
A cake sinking in the middle is usually due to being under cooked. Next time try sticking a toothpick in and checking that it comes out clean. If the top is browning too quickly or more than you'd like, lay a piece of parchment paper on top to deflect some of the heat. Let me know if that helps!
I didn't know I could use parchment to keep the top from browning too much. I'll try that next time if I have any problems. I will are it again cuz I really like the flavor. Thanks so much.
This cake was very good. I baked mine in a glass baking dish, and it did not sink in the middle. I agree with one suggestion above to mix in 1/2 C chopped walnuts in the cake batter to make it more like banana bread in addition to sprinkling 1/2 C nuts on top of the frosting. Toasting the nuts might have been tastier. This recipe was not my favorite for cream cheese frosting. However, it spread nicely and didn’t tear up the top of the cake. I would make this cake again, but for next time I would: 1) Add walnuts to the cake mixture, 2) Toast the walnuts for the top and the mixture, and 3) Try a different cream cheese frosting.
Thank you for your in depth review and comment! I love seeing people share their tips and tricks and their cooking experiences. I love the idea of toasting the nuts for the topping.
I made this banana bread cake it tasted so good My cake was a little heavy can you tell me what I did wrong
A heavy cake can be caused by a lot of things but my first guess is overmixing. When a batter is over mixed too much air is introduced that inflates quickly in the oven and then deflates creating a dense/heavy cake.
I give this recipe 10 stars! Its AMAZING I wouldn’t change a thing. Delicious just the way it is.
Thank you so much! ❤️
DELICIOUS!! Will make again!!👍👍👍
Thank you Angela!