Banana bread cake topped with a thick cream cheese frosting, and baked up perfectly in a 9×13 baking dish. So much banana flavor, so soft & moist, and just crazy delicious. Garnish with sliced fresh bananas and chopped walnuts for an amazing dessert!
My house has gotten hit with all sorts of yucky stuff lately. Fevers, sniffles, body aches, colds, the flu, you name it and my kids have gotten it. I think we’re finally on the upswing of it all. My daughter finally went back to school today and the baby actually slept last night 🙂
The only thing I’ve been cooking lately is macaroni & cheese and frozen French toast sticks. It’s been bad. I get asked all the time if I ever just make a “normal” dinner for my kids. Like mac n’ cheese or pb & j. Ummmm, yea I do! Of course. Don’t ever doubt that just because I have a food blog means that I have it all together when it comes to the dreaded dinner hour.
This banana bread cake came out of pure necessity to get in the kitchen and bake. I always have lots of brown bananas so I love having my favorite stand-by recipes that I can use those brown bananas in.
It’s amazing to me that 2 bananas can give so much flavor to this cake. Combine the mashed banana with sour cream and you have an amazingly moist and soft cake.
Frost the cake and leave it plain or add some sliced bananas and chopped walnuts. The fresh banana and walnuts really are so delicious and take the cake to another level. Obviously, if there are some allergies don’t use them 🙂
The cream cheese frosting recipe can easily be halved if you want a thinner frosting. I love the combination of banana cake and cream cheese frosting so it’s one of those rare times that I actually use a thick frosting. Normally, I am not a fan of frosting but when it comes to this cake, I love it!
Tips for making this banana bread cake
- To get nice, clean but pieces make the cream cheese frosting thick. Which means, add more powdered sugar until you get that really thick consistency.
- I love this banana cake cold. Once it’s completely cooled, I frost the cake and then cover it and let it sit in the fridge for a few hours before serving. It can also be served immediately at room temperature. There really is no wrong to eat this.
- Use heavy whipping cream in the frosting! This is so important. Heavy whipping cream provides richness, fluffiness, and creaminess to the frosting. It makes such a difference.
- I swear by this rectangular baking pan. I buy lots of kitchen stuff (just ask my husband, lol 🙂 ) …. actually don’t ask him, that might be too embarrassing for me! But seriously, this pan does not have those rounded edges that so many 9×13 baking dishes have. Which means that bars, cakes actually bake up with perfect square edges instead of the rounded corners. I have several of them and it’s one of my must-have kitchen items.
- I always use a large ice cream scoop (with a press n’ release) to put the batter into the baking dish. It makes it easier to spread it out evenly when you drop large spoonfuls of it all over instead of one big pile in the dish.
Banana Bread Cake w/ Cream Cheese Frosting
Banana bread cake topped with a thick cream cheese frosting, and baked up perfectly in a 9x13 baking dish. So much banana flavor, so soft & moist, and just crazy delicious. Garnish with sliced fresh bananas and chopped walnuts for an amazing dessert!
Ingredients
Banana Cake
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 1/2 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
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup mashed bananas about 2 or 3 bananas
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 bar (8 oz) cream cheese full-fat is best
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 - 3 cups powdered sugar
- 3-4 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
Instructions
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Heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9x13 baking dish and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
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In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs, sour cream, and vanilla. Blend together until combined and creamy.
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In small bowl, add flour, baking soda, and salt. Whish together to break up clumps. Add it into the wet batter and stir with spatula just until mixed and no flour pockets reamin.
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Add mashed banana and gently stir together. Dump batter into the baking dish and spread out evenly. It makes it easier if you dump large spoonfuls of the batter all over the baking dish, instead of just one big pile of batter.
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Cook for 25-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle does not come out with wet batter. The edges and top will be light browned. Mine takes about 32 minutes.
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Let cake cool completely before frosting.
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To make frosting: beat butter and cream cheese together until combined. Add in vanilla extract, 2 cups of the powdered sugar, and 3 tablespoons heavy cream. Beat together until frosting forms. Add more powdered sugar and/or milk until desired frosting consistencey is reached.
* I end up using just the 3 tablespoons heavy cream + 2 3/4 cup powdered sugar. it gives me a nice, thick frosting and stays put on the cake when I cut it.
* 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.
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Cut into squares and garnish each piece with banana slices and chopped walnuts.
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