Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

This Banana Cake Recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting is the ultimate comfort food dessert. You’ll love the light, super-moist cake texture combined with the incredible flavor of ripe bananas and warming spices.

The silky-smooth cream cheese frosting is made even lighter by using whipped cream cheese and lightly sweetened so it doesn’t upstage the flavorful cake below. Topped with the buttery walnuts, it’s a flavor combination that is oh so good! 

For more spiced cakes, try my Pain d’Epices, Ultimate Carrot Cake or my Spiced Zucchini Bread recipes.

 

Ingredients:

• Ripe Mashed Bananas: The riper the better! You know those overripe bananas sitting on the counter than noone will eat? Those are perfect! All the flavor in a banana cake comes from the level of ripeness in the banana. If your bananas are not that ripe, your cake will not have that much flavor. Ripeness also contributes to the sweetness of the cake. See my tips below for how you can ripen a banana in the oven!
• Softened Unsalted Butter: Take your butter out of the fridge the night before you plan to make this cake. It can then soften up overnight. The softer the butter, the easier it will be to achieve a light, fluffy texture when you beat it.
• White Sugar: White granulated sugar will provide the best, fluffiest texture for your cake.
• Room-Temperature Large Eggs: Will also help the eggs incorporate better into the butter. If you forget to take them out of the refrigerator, submerge them in water for 5 minutes to bring them up to temperature.
• Vanilla Extract: Only use Pure Vanilla extract, nothing labeled “imitation extract” for the best flavor.
• All-Purpose Flour: Or use cake flour for a lighter texture.
• Baking Soda and Baking Powder. I use both to create a nicely risen cake that fills up the whole pan once it’s baked.
• Sour Cream: Gets mixed into the batter, alternating with the dry ingredients. This adds a lovely texture to the cake, giving it more moisture and a soft crumb.
• Cinnamon and Allspice: Really amps up the flavor of this cake and complements the bananas beautifully.
• Kosher Salt: To heighten all the flavors
• Walnuts: I love the buttery crunch in this cake, but you could leave them out or swap for pecans if you prefer
• Cream Cheese: For the frosting. Set it out at room temperature once you start to mix up the cake batter, and it will be ready to use once the cake has cooled and you are ready to make the frosting. It will beat up better if it’s at room temperature.
• Powdered Sugar: Will dissolve better than granulated sugar for the frosting, creating a nice, silky, smooth texture to the frosting.

How-To Ripen Bananas in the Oven

• One of the challenges of making banana bread or cakes is having ripe bananas when you want to make them. But with this method, you can whip up this fantastic banana cake or my Ultimate Banana Bread recipe anytime you crave it!
• Pre-heat the oven to 300F (150 °C)
• Line a baking sheet with foil
• Place your unripe bananas on the tray and bake for 10 minutes. They will start to turn black.
• Flip the bananas and bake them for another 10 minutes
• Allow them to cool, then remove the peels.
• Transfer to a bowl and mash. And presto! Sticky-sweet “ripe bananas.”

Using Frozen Bananas

• Now, if you had ripe bananas and froze them, that is another great way to save a ripe banana for later when you want to make banana bread or banana muffins. Just be sure to peel the bananas before freezing them. Then pop them in a Ziploc bag to freeze.
• Then, when you are ready to use them, put them in the microwave at 15-second intervals until thawed through.
• Or place them in the fridge overnight to thaw. Then proceed with the recipe as directed.

Step#1: Cream the Butter and Sugar

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• This should take around 4-5 minutes, and the butter should be lighter and easier to scrape down from the bowl.
• Having room temperature butter really helps with this step!

Step#2: Add the Eggs + Vanilla

• Add the eggs, one at a time, beating in between each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed.
• Then add the vanilla extract. I use 1 full tablespoon in this recipe to enhance the vanilla flavor in the cake and add additional sweetness by increasing the sugar.

Step#3: Whisk the Dry Ingredients

• In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients and spices, then set aside.
• Add the dry ingredients in thirds, alternating with the sour cream, until both are used up.
• Don’t beat at high speed, but rather a slow medium speed, to avoid creating a tough cake.
• Once the batter is mixed, add the chopped walnuts, beat just until combined, then transfer into a 10 x 10-inch (25 x 25 cm) cheesecake pan.
• Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 40-45 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
• Then allow it to cool completely before releasing it from the pan and frosting.

Using a Removable Bottom Pan

• To get an easy release of this cake and preserve its square shape.
• I like to use a removable bottom pan.
• This is a fantastic pan to have in your baking arsenal because it’s so versatile! 
• I also use it for my Blueberry Crumb Cake, Butterscotch Blondie, Pecan Bars, and Focaccia Recipes. 
• A removable bottom pan allows for easy slicing since you can quickly cut your dessert into 9 squares and serve.
• There’s no wrestling it out of the pan and hoping you don’t damage the corners.
• The pan is also 3″ high, which allows for a generous slice of cake.

Step#4 Make the Cream Cheese Frosting

• I think one of the best frostings for banana cake is a silky smooth, cream cheese frosting. The slight tang of the cream cheese is a great match against the sweetness of the bananas and it also compliments the spice in the cake beautifully, a bit like carrot cake.
• Over the years, I’ve perfected this cream cheese frosting recipe, and I’ve included a few tips below!
• Use whipped cream cheese. This will provide a head start to lightness and volume since there is already air whipped into it. You don’t need to do much to it. If you can’t find the whipped cream and only have the brick cream cheese. That’s Okay. Just make sure it’s at room temperature and beat it longer (3-4 minutes) to achieve a lighter volume. 
• Use powdered sugar. The powder will dissolve better than granulated sugar. The cornstarch that’s in powdered sugar also helps to stabilize the frosting and help keep its volume.
• Don’t use too much sugar. Cream cheese frosting is best when you can actually taste the cream cheese! There’s also so much flavor in the cake, thanks to the ripe bananas and spices, that the frosting should really play a “supporting role”.
• Add enough vanilla extract. This recipe calls for 2 teaspoons (10ml), which I think is the perfect amount to add sweetness and flavor.
• Skip the butter. It will just dilute the flavor of the frosting, and really, who needs the extra calories anyway?
• Frost the cake simply with a rubber spatula and then top with chopped walnuts.