Soft, light, full of banana flavor, and finished with a thick and tangy cream cheese frosting, this Sour Cream Banana Cake is the BEST banana cake ever!
Position an oven rack to the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy, this can take 3-5 minutes. Once fluffy, add the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla and mix until combined.
In a small bowl, mash the banana until completely broken down with a fork or potato masher. Measure out 1 cup of mashed banana and then add to the wet ingredients. Stir to combine.
Over a large mixing bowl, sift flour, baking soda, and 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 butter and cream cheese together until creamy and smooth. Add in vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon milk and quickly beat again.
Add 2 ½ cups of powdered sugar and beat until smooth. 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.
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Notes
Sour Cream: Use full-fat sour cream, not reduced-fat or fat-free sour cream.Layered Banana Cake: To make a 2-layer cake, divide the batter between 2 greased 9-inch cake pans, and bake at 350 degrees F for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes on a cooling rack, and then remove from cake pans and cool fully before icing. You will want to double the frosting to fully ice the cake.Underripe Bananas: Place unpeeled bananas on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes at 300 degrees Fahrenheit, or until the skins on the banana are fully browned. Allow to cool, peel, and use in the banana cake recipe as directed.Baking Time: Every oven is different, hence the variance in bake time. For best results, position a rack in the middle of the oven and fully preheat before baking the cake. Check the cake at 25 minutes. If the cake jiggles, set the timer for an additional 5 minutes. If the cake 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. Optional Mix-Ins: Feel free to add up to 1 cup of chopped walnuts and/or semi-sweet chocolate chips to the flour mixture before combining the wet and dry ingredients. Coating the nuts/chocolate chips in the flour will help prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the cake. Storage: Refrigerate cake iced or uniced cake covered tightly in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Freezing: To freeze this cake, bake in a disposable or freezer-safe cake pan. Cool fully and then ice as directed. Cover the cake pan tightly with 2 layers of plastic wrap and then 2 layers of heavy-duty foil. The cake can be frozen for up to 3 months but tastes best if enjoyed within 6 weeks. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight before enjoying. Halving the Recipe: This cake can be halved and baked in an 8x8 cake pan for the same amount of time with great results.