Sour Cream Banana Cake
This moist, tender Sour Cream Banana Cake with cream cheese frosting is destined to be your new go-to recipe for ripe bananas! I was served for dessert on an antebellum plantation along the Ohio River. We all licked our plates clean! This scrumptious dessert got rave reviews, so naturally, I had to bake it up at home!
Who even knew there were plantations in Indiana?! We were lucky enough to spend a lovely autumn afternoon on the grounds, which included a spectacular Southern lunch. Lucky for me, the caterer was generous with her recipes. It was nearly impossible not to eat a second slice of this tender, Easy Banana Cake.
Why You Must Make
- The only difficult part of making this banana cake recipe was waiting for my bananas to ripen.
- If you always make banana bread with your overripe bananas, this is a tasty alternative.
- If you don’t have ripe bananas, you can easily make your yellow bananas perfect for banana bread or cake, by simply roasting them in the oven. More on that below.
- Plus, if you love cream cheese frosting as much as I do, this cake is the perfect excuse to make a batch.
Expert Tips
This banana cake with sour cream recipe is pretty straightforward. Check in the recipe card for a link to a 12 x 17-inch jellyroll pan. If yours is smaller (like 10 x 15), you’ll have excess batter, but it will still be tasty. Check for doneness frequently since the baking times vary with different-sized pans.
- PRO-Tip: The ideal bananas for this cake have gone beyond yellow and have skins with brown speckles and spots, but not completely brown and mushy. The speckled bananas have more sugar than a solid yellow banana and give more banana flavor to your baked goods.
- If your bananas are still yellow, roasting them can bring out the necessary sugars along with softening the fruit.
- PRO Tip: How to ripen bananas in the oven is an easy hack. With the skins on, place the bananas on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Let them roast in a 300º oven for 30-40 minutes, flipping at the halfway point, until the skins are dark.
- Cool and use in your recipe as you would any ripe banana.
- Feel free to add some roasted chopped walnuts into the batter or top the frosting with chopped nuts or coconut to jazz up this banana cake.
- PRO-Tip: If you use a pan that’s smaller than 12 x 17-inches, you’ll have extra batter and will need to adjust the baking time.
- PRO-Tip: If you find yourself with overripe bananas, peel them, then toss them into a freezer-safe Ziploc bag, remove any excess air and store them in the freezer until you want to make banana cake, bread or muffins. Defrost, then use as directed.
- PRO-Tip: Frozen bananas are good indefinitely if frozen properly!
How to Make
- Preheat the oven and prep the baking pan.
- With a hand mixer, beat the wet ingredients except for the bananas, starting with the butter and sugar.
- Stir in the dry ingredients, then the bananas. PRO-Tip: Do not use the mixer as you don’t want to over-activate the gluten making a tougher cake and you don’t want to incorporate a lot of air into the batter.
- Add batter to the pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. PRO-Tip: Be careful not to overbake or the cake will be dry.
- While the cake is cooling to room temperature, make the frosting, then ice the cake. PRO-Tip: Sifting the powdered sugar will make a smoother frosting.
- PRO-Tip: Store the cake in the refrigerator since it has a cream cheese frosting.
- PRO-Tip: To serve, let the cake sit out at room temperature for about 30 minutes. The frosting will be creamier and the cake softer and more tender.
Frequently Asked Questions
Banana Cake is typically mixed like a butter cake, creaming the butter and sugar, then adding in the eggs, etc. Banana Bread is made like other quick bread, and instead of being soft and cakey, it’s firm and dense. This makes banana bread easy to slice and toast.
Adding ingredients like sour cream provides extra fat and adds moisture to the cake. Also, not overbaking will also ensure the cake does not lose too much moisture in the oven.
Besides adding moisture due to the fat content in sour cream, the acidic nature of sour cream breaks down the gluten bonds in the flour, making a tender cake.
You May Also Like:
- Hummingbird Cake
- Pumpkin Roll
- Classic Carrot Cake
- Sour Cream Pound Cake Recipe
- More of my Best Cake Recipes
- Plus, more of my Best Desserts
- More ripe bananas? Try this tasty Banana Bread from The House of Nash Eats
Sour Cream Banana Cake
Tender, moist banana cake iced with a rich cream cheese frosting
Ingredients
Cake:
- ½ cup butter, at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2-3 ripe bananas, mashed (should measure about 1 cup)
Frosting:
- 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- ½ cup butter, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 3¾ to 4 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Spray a 15 x 10-inch jelly roll pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, with a hand mixer, cream butter, and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, sour cream, and vanilla.
- In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Slowly stir the flour mixture into the creamed mixture. Stir in bananas.
- Spread into a greased 15 x 10-inch baking pan.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Do not overbake.
- Cool completely before frosting.
- To make the frosting, beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until fluffy. Gradually beat in enough powdered sugar until the frosting reaches a spreadable consistency.
- Spread frosting over bars with an offset spatula.
- Store in the refrigerator.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Taste of Home.
For the best results, don't overmix the batter after the flour is added. Use overripe bananas for the best flavor.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
24Serving Size:
1 sliceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 512Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 51mgSodium: 176mgCarbohydrates: 98gFiber: 1gSugar: 87gProtein: 3g
Thatskinnychickcanbake.com occasionally offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site. This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although thatskinnychickcanbake.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased can change the nutritional information in any given recipe. Also, many recipes on thatskinnychickcanbake.com recommend toppings, which may or may not be listed as optional and nutritional information for these added toppings is not listed. Other factors may change the nutritional information such as when the salt amount is listed “to taste,” it is not calculated into the recipe as the amount will vary. Also, different online calculators can provide different results. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information obtained is accurate.
35 Comments on “Sour Cream Banana Cake”
Cake smells delightful as it is nearly finished baking ! But- It is very optimistic to believe this cake will stay IN that little jelly-roll pan! It has crept out and over the sides- meaning a fair bit of trimming and messy edges to attempt to hide with frosting! Perhaps a larger pan would be a strong recommendation?!
Yes, I’ll add the dimensions of my jellyroll pan. There is more than one option. I hope you still enjoy it! Thanks for the pointing out this problem.
Can I use a 9 x 13 pan instead? This recipe looks delicious. Chopped toasted walnuts on top are a nice addition if you like a crunch
Hi, Patti, I haven’t tested the smaller pan, but it should work. You’ll have to bake longer, so start checking for doneness by using a toothpick on a finger tap in the center of the cake. When you start smelling the aroma of cake coming from your oven, do your first check.
I also recommend lowering the oven temperature (by 25 degrees) since it will be in the oven longer and the edges could get dark. I hope this helps and please let me know how it goes!
I would certainly want a second slice of this delicious sour cream banana cake! Would it be wrong to serve this for breakfast?? 😊☕
Sour cream makes wonders to every bread. This beauty is not the exception!!!!!!!!!!!
Liz, this banana cake recipe brings back a flood of childhood memories-until I saw the post I had completed forgotten about this delightful cake. My birthday cakes as a child were often a banana cake with a sour cream frosting. My mother’s side of the family had a lot of family in Ohio.
Thanks for sharing. Happy new Year!
Velva
Such a beautiful cake and perfect for the season.
This looks SO GOOD!! I love banana bread so I know I will love this too!
I love the tip about roasting the bananas to ripen them! This recipe is delicious! Great texture and so easy to make. Will make often!
I love banana cake–and cream cheese frosting! This looks so delicious. Great to learn how to ripen bananas too.
Can you make muffins instead of cake with this recipe?
Hi, Amy, Though I’ve never tested it, it should work. Just bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached. Good luck and let me know how it goes if you give it a try.
I just made this yesterday and it was delicious! I did have to make a few adjustments. I only had half a cup of sour cream on hand so I then used half a cup of Greek yogurt. My bananas were dark skinned and very mushy. I only had a 9×13” pan so I had to bake it about eight minutes longer. I made half the amount of cream cheese frosting because I wanted to also try the Miss Jones vanilla frosting I had bought at the store. I wanted to compare the two. The consensus was they were equally as good or some people prefer the Mrs. Jones frosting. I was surprised that store-bought frosting tasted so good. But I also like the cream cheese frosting. Thank you again for sharing this recipe! It is one of the best banana cakes I’ve ever had!
SO glad you enjoyed this, Lynne! It’s a great alternative to banana bread when your bananas get over-ripe. Thanks for sharing your tweaks, too!
Such a delicious cake recipe! I love the icing! Perfect dessert for a party!
i don’t know if I’ve ever had a sour cream banana cake! this sounds so delicious & unique. can’t wait to make this
This recipe is delicious! However, the bake time should be a little longer. Instead of 25 minutes it should be around 40 minutes. Love the cream cheese frosting-YUM!!
Hey, Pam.
So glad you enjoyed. I’m wondering if you used the right sized jelly roll pan as this baking time has always worked perfectly for me? Thanks for your feedback…I know all ovens bake differently, so I’m glad you did a toothpick test to realize yours needed more baking time.
This cake is so delicious! Your tip for ripening bananas is such a lifesaver, so genius!!!
Love how simple and easy this recipe is! I’ll be making it again!
If I wanted to try this with Crisco instead of butter, do I just sub. with 1/2 cup? Thank you! Looks so good. Also, how would I make the frosting chocolate flavored? How much & what kind of chocolate would I use?
Yes, Janet, just replace the butter with an equal amount of Crisco. As for the frosting, I’d add 1/2 cup cocoa powder with the powdered sugar. I’d sift it first. Hope you enjoy! Sounds like a delicious idea!!
This looks like an easy answer to a delicious dessert for a big crowd. I like the idea of roasted nuts or coconut to provide some flair although the cake, with just the cream cheese spread is beautiful. Thanks for the roasting bananas hack – hadn’t heard that one.
Soooo delicious! I was smitten at first bite of this antebellum dessert . Thanks for sharing the banana ripening tip – I can’t wait to make this recipe :>
My hubby is the same, chocolate will always win out over banana flavour desserts. He really is no fan but I am and this cake is perfect for me.
Great tip about roasting bananas! I never knew that but will definitely try it!
Wow, love the banana in the oven tip! That’s a new one to me. Your cake looks great, wish I had a piece right now:@)
Such a dreamy banana cake and I love your perfect frosting!
I love the soft tender texture of this banana cake…and that icing looks utterly delicious too.
Oh Wow – I sure hope my bananas aren’t too ripe to try this recipe this weekend. Bananas and sour cream – what’s not to love! Oh, and cream cheese frosting – yum!!
The real southern version of this recipe uses crisco…
Hi, Summmer, I bet it does! But I love the flavor that butter imparts so I substitute it when I can! Hope you give this version a try!
This sounds like a fabulous recipe but I find most Southern recipes are. So scrumptious. I’d have a tough time choosing between this and chocolate so I’d just have both!
I love it when caterers and restaurants are willing to share their delicious recipes! This cake looks absolutely fantastic! Love the texture and that frosting is perfect