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Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Banana cake with cream cheese frosting is a pillowy, moist banana sheet cake baked in a 9x13 pan and topped with thick, tangy swoops of frosting. Expect tender crumbs, a clean toothpick bake window, and soft peaks for a billowing finish.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 15 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Banana cake
  • 3 bananas Ripe, mashed.
  • 2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 0.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.5 cup butter Softened.
  • 1.5 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs Large.
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup sour cream
Cream cheese frosting
  • 8 oz cream cheese Softened.
  • 0.5 cup butter Softened.
  • 3.5 cup powdered sugar
  • 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tbsp heavy cream

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Bake the banana sheet cake
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x13 pan.
  2. Beat the butter and sugar until fluffy, 2–4 minutes, then add the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined.
  3. Add the mashed bananas and mix until fully incorporated, with no dry streaks.
  4. Incorporate the dry ingredients by alternating: fold in the flour mixture and sour cream, starting and ending with flour, until just combined.
  5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30–35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
  6. Cool the cake completely before frosting, until the top is no longer warm to the touch.
Make and frost with cream cheese frosting
  1. Beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth, 1–2 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl as needed.
  2. Gradually add the powdered sugar, then mix in the vanilla and heavy cream until thick and fluffy.
  3. Frost the completely cooled cake generously and swoop the frosting into billowing soft peaks across the entire surface.

Notes

Pro tip: for a tender crumb, mix the batter only until the flour disappears (overmixing can make it tough). Store covered at room temperature up to 2 days or in the refrigerator up to 5 days; freeze frosted slices up to 2 months (thaw in the fridge). For a lighter option, you can use reduced-fat cream cheese and butter-sticks frosting, keeping the texture thick by adding the powdered sugar gradually.