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Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Banana cake with cream cheese frosting featuring a pillowy, moist sheet cake baked in a 9x13 pan and frosted with thick, tangy swooped peaks. This one-bowl-style banana sheet cake bakes up golden at the edges and stays tender thanks to sour cream.
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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 ripe bananas Mashed until smooth; measure after mashing.
  • 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 for the cake; use separate portion for frosting.
  • 1.5 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 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 cake
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x13 pan.
  2. Beat the softened butter and sugar until fluffy, then add the eggs, vanilla, and mashed bananas and mix until combined.
  3. In another bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon to make the dry ingredients.
  4. Alternate folding in the flour mixture and the sour cream, beginning and ending with flour, until just combined.
  5. Pour the batter into the prepared 9x13 pan and bake for 30–35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
  6. Let the cake cool completely before frosting.
Make and apply the cream cheese frosting
  1. Beat the softened cream cheese and butter until smooth.
  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, spreading in billowing swooped waves across the entire surface.

Notes

Pro tip: Mash bananas until mostly smooth (a few small lumps are fine) for an even, tender crumb, and don’t frost until the cake is fully cool so the frosting holds thick peaks. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days; freeze frosted or unfrosted cake up to 2 months (thaw overnight in the fridge). Dietary swap: use lactose-free butter and cream cheese if needed for a lactose-free version.