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This Sour Cream Banana Cake delivers everything you want in a homemade cake. A soft and tender crumb, sweet banana flavor, and a thick and tangy cream cheese frosting that takes it over the top. It's easy to make, bakes up in one pan, and always disappears fast!
This recipe comes straight from my Great Grandma's collection of tried-and-true desserts. Just like her Hot Milk Cake, Texas Sheet Cake and Lemon Bread, it is a simple dessert that has been winning over my family and friends for generations.
Kristen's Keys for Making Banana Cake
To make a banana cake that is moist, sweet, and full of banana flavor, pay attention to the following key tips. I learned most of these tricks of the trade while sitting on the counter watching my great-grandma bake.
- Use very ripe bananas. Select bananas with with brown speckles or even mostly brown peels, as they are much sweeter and softer. That means deeper banana flavor and a sweeter cake.
- Use room temperature butter and eggs. They will beat up beautifully together, while trapping air. That air helps the cake bake up light and fluffy.
- Use full-fat sour cream. Sour cream adds richness and moisture, but it also plays a baking role. The acidity reacts with baking soda to help the cake rise and stay light instead of dense. Avoid fat-free sour cream, which has added stabilizers that can separated when baked.
- Refrigerate before serving. While you can absolutely dig into this cake immediately after icing, I have found the flavor gets even better after the dessert has been chilled.
5-Star reader review
I still have hot cake, out of the oven, in my mouth. This is by far the best sour cream banana cake EVER. I have tried at least 6 other recipes...most were too heavy and some had fallen leaving a doughy layer in the middle. This is light, delicious and I highly recommend it. It is now in my permanent line up of winners. -Margie
How to Make Banana Cake
Think of this section as me standing in the kitchen next to you, walking you through the process so your cake turns out just right.
Step One: Cream Wet Ingredients
Using a handheld mixer, cream the butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl until pale and fluffy. Have some patience here, it can take 3-5 minutes to achieve that fluffy texture that is key to a soft cake.
Once fluffy, add the eggs, sour cream, vanilla, and mashed banana, and mix again to combine.
Step Two: Sift Dry Ingredients
Over a separate mixing bowl, sift flour with baking soda and salt, then whisk to quickly evenly combine. Don't skip sifting the ingredients, as it removes lumps and aerates the flour for a lighter crumb.
If you are adding chocolate chips or nuts to the cake, add them to the dry ingredients and toss to lightly coat with flour. This will help prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the cake.
Step Three: Combine Batter
Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until the flour disappears. Keep in mind, overmixing can make the cake tough.
Step Four: Bake Cake
Pour the batter into a greased 9x13-inch cake pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with just a few crumbs.
Keep in mind that using a metal pan will speed up the baking process and ovens vary. I recommend starting to check on the cake around the 25-minute mark. If the center jiggles, give it another 5 minutes. If the top looks set, test it with a toothpick. If the toothpick is dry remove the cake, if it is wet bake for an additional 2 minutes and recheck until fully set.
Let the cake cool fully before icing.
Step Five: Prepare the Cream Cheese Frosting
In medium mixing bowl, beat softened cream cheese and butter together until smooth and fluffy. Add powdered sugar, a little bit at a time, mixing until thick and creamy.
If needed, add a splash of milk to to make the frosting easily spreadable. You will know it is the right consistency when it holds soft peaks when you lift the mixer.
Step Six: Frost the Cake
Once the cake is completely cool, spread the frosting over the top in an even layer.
Try to avoid the temptation to slice into the cake right away! The flavor improves if the cake chills in the refrigerator for about 2 hours.
Recipe Modifications
- Add Chocolate Chips: Add up to 1 cup of chocolate chips to the dry ingredients for a decadent chocolate twist.
- Add Nuts: Fold in up to 1 cup of chopped pecans or walnuts for extra texture and flavor.
- Half the Recipe: Cut the ingredients in half and bake the cake in an 8x8 cake pan as directed.
- Make It a Layer Cake: Divide the batter between two greased 9-inch round pans and decrease the bake time to 18-22 minutes. Double the frosting if you plan to frost between the layers.
Recipe FAQs
Place unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet and bake at 300°F for 30-40 minutes, until the skins turn dark brown. Let them cool, then peel and mash. The bananas will be soft and naturally sweeter.
Not at all. This cake is delicious without the cream cheese icing, but the tanginess of the cream cheese is the perfect contrast to the sweet banana cake.
Banana Cake is VERY moist and should be refrigerated once cooled, even if uniced. Covered well, it will stay fresh for up to 4 days in the fridge.
Cool the cake completely, frost if desired, then wrap tightly with plastic wrap and foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
More Favorite Banana Recipes
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Sour Cream Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Video
Ingredients
For the Cake
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup full-fat sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup mashed bananas, ~2-3 large overripe bananas
Cream Cheese Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 8 ounces full-fat cream cheese, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon milk, + 1 tablespoon more to thin if needed
- 2½ cups powdered sugar, sifted + ½ cup more if needed
Instructions
- Position an oven rack to the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 350℉ (175℃). Grease a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream ½ cup unsalted butter and 1½ cups granulated sugar together until pale and fluffy, this can take 3-5 minutes. Once fluffy, add 2 large eggs, 1 cup full-fat sour cream, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and mix until combined. Add 1 cup mashed bananas and stir to combine.
- Over a large mixing bowl, sift 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda and ¼ teaspoon salt together. Whisk together to distribute the ingredients evenly.
- Add flour mixture to the wet batter and stir with a spatula just until mixed and no flour pockets remain. Be careful to not overmix or your cake will be tough.
- Pour the batter into the baking dish and spread out evenly. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out dry. The top of the cake will be golden brown.
- Let the cake cool completely at room temperature before frosting.
To Make the Frosting
- In a large bowl, beat ½ cup unsalted butter and 8 ounces full-fat cream cheese together until creamy and smooth. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon milk and quickly beat again.
- Slowly beat in 2½ cups powdered sugaruntil smooth and creamy. If needed, add up to 1 tablespoon of additional milk and ½ cup of powdered sugar, a little at a time until you reach the desired consistency. You are looking for a thick frosting that is easily spreadable.
- Spread the cream cheese frosting over the cooled cake. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours before serving for best results.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Originally published in 2021.
This recipe came out so well and if I wasn't working from home while baking, I would have sat down and cried at how much it reminded me of my grandma's banana bread. I would make it again if only for the memories the aroma elicits. I did tweak it to make it gluten free and accommodate for more mashed bananas since I had more than a cup on hand. Below were my add ons:
All purpose gluten free flour from Trader Joes: 2 1/2 cups
Baking soda: 2 teaspoons
Cinnamon: 2 teaspoons
Mashed banana: 2 cups
Cane sugar: 1 cup
Light brown sugar: 1/2 cup
Only slight modifications to an already delicious recipe. Thanks for sharing!!
I am absolutely THRILLED to hear you enjoyed this banana cake so much! Thank you for sharing!
I made this cake. It was delicious, nice and moist, nice Banana taste. I’ve been trying to find a recipe like my mother in laws. When I told my daughter we had to take her somewhere. Not quite Grandmas. But she said pretty close. Thanks for sharing.
I am so happy to hear this cake was ALMOST as good as Grandma's. That is a huge compliment.
I still have hot cake, out of the oven, in my mouth. This is by far the best sour cream banana cake EVER. I have tried at least 6 other recipes...most were too heavy and some had fallen leaving a doughy layer in the middle. This is light, delicious and I highly recommend it. It is now in my permanent line up of winners.
I love hearing you are enjoying it so much already, Margie! Thanks for sharing!
OMG, this was so so delicious!! Moist , not crumbly and I just love cream cheese icing. I did divide the batter up into to two 8”x8” glass pans. One to take to someone’s house and one for home.
Can you put this in a bundt cake pan?
Hi Candace! I am thrilled to hear how much you enjoyed this Banana Cake. We love it ourselves. As for making this in a bundt pan, the ratios would be slightly different, as a standard Bundt cake typically yields slightly more than a 9x13 pan. I can not give you accurate timing either unless I tested this myself. I would start by using this recipe and baking at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes in a well-greased bundt pan. Also, keep in mind it can be more difficult to ice.
Could hardly stop eating this cake, it was so tasty and moist! I made the frosting as written except for part of the sugar I used some powdered coconut nectar and powdered erythritol (whizzed in a blender). It turned
out so light and delicious. I think having the ingredients at room temp. or slightly more helped them to cream together well and contributed to the lightness. Thanks for a great recipe!
I am so happy to hear you enjoyed this cake so much, Nancy! Thanks for taking the time to share a review 🙂
Can I make this in a 9x9 pan instead, and if so, what would be the adjusted time/temp?
Hi Jennae! This cake can be halved and baked in an 8x8 cake pan for the same amount of time with great results.
My family and I love, love, love this cake! I've given pieces to multiple others, who've all raved about it. I accidentally doubled the butter in the cake the first time and have ever since. I also added walnuts and chocolate chips. Would this recipe work as cupcakes?
What a happy accident! I haven't tried this as cupcakes, so not sure if it would work. It doesn't rise as much as classic cupcakes, so it may need a few adjustments to be perfect.