Making this moist, sweet, and tangy Banana Cake is easy. And if you like banana bread this recipe is for you! It's a delicious dessert cake made with ripe bananas and topped with a tangy sour cream frosting.

This is a great recipe for picnics, potlucks, and parties.
Table of Contents
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Ingredients
For this recipe, we just need staples from our fridge and pantry.
- Bananas - The bananas are the star of this recipe. And this is a great recipe to use up those overripe bananas.
- Flour and Leaving Agents - All-purpose flour works great. For this recipe, we'll use both baking powder and baking soda as leaving agents. The baking powder lifts the cake, and the baking soda makes the banana cake extra tender.
- Sugar - For the batter, you'll need granulated sugar (I used unprocessed, organic because that's what I had on hand). For the frosting, we'll use powdered sugar. Just be sure to sift the powdered sugar otherwise you'll have unsightly sugar clumps in your frosting.
- Dairy - Butter, eggs, cream cheese, and sour cream. Sour cream is our secret ingredient. It adds that bit of tanginess that balances the sweetness of this cake.
- Lemon - To round things off we'll add another bit of tanginess in form of a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice. This ingredient is nice to have but optional. If you want to add a bit more zesty flavor to your cake zest your lemon.
How To Make Banana Cake
PREP: Preheat the oven to 350º Fahrenheit. Lightly grease a baking dish with baking spray. Set aside
- In a large bowl, beat softened butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until creamy and fluffy. About 4-5 minutes.
- Add in one egg at a time and blend until fully incorporated.
- Add 1 cup of sour cream, mashed bananas, and lemon juice to the batter. Continue to blend on medium speed until smooth.
- Sift flour into the batter. Add baking soda, baking powder, and salt and blend until well combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350º Fahrenheit until golden brown on top.
- Use a wooden toothpick to check for doneness in the center of the cake. If the toothpick comes out clean remove the cake from the oven. Wait to cool completely.
- To make the cream cheese frosting combine cream cheese and ½ cup sour cream in a medium bowl. Sift the powdered sugar into the bowl and beat with an electric mixer until well blended.
- Once cooled spread the frosting over the cake.
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Ingredients
- 2 cups flour all purpose
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup butter unsalted, room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 4 large bananas ripe, mashed
- 1 ½ cups sour cream divided (1 cup for the batter, ½ cup for the frosting)
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar sifted
Instructions
Batter
- Preheat the oven to 350º Fahrenheit. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking pan. Set aside.
- In a large bowl beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until creamy and fluffy. About 4-5 minutes. Add in one egg at a time and blend until fully incorporated.
- Add 1 cup of sour cream, mashed bananas, and lemon juice to the batter. Continue to blend on medium speed until until smooth. Sift flour into the batter. Add baking soda, baking powder, and salt and blend until well combined.
Baking
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350º Fahrenheit until golden brown on top.
- Use a wooden toothpick to check for doneness in the center of the cake. If the toothpick comes out clean remove the cake from the oven. Wait to cool completely.
Frosting
- To make the cream cheese frosting combine cream cheese and ½ cup sour cream in a medium bowl. Sift the powdered sugar into the bowl and beat with an electric mixer until well blended.
- Once cooled cover the cake with the frosting.
Nutrition
Calories: 455kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 89mg | Sodium: 356mg | Potassium: 270mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 41g | Vitamin A: 767IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 1mg
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Jess
Is the lemon juice meant for the cake or frosting?
Thanks!
Maike
Hi Jess! Sorry for the confusion. I just updated the recipe and the process shot. The lemon juice goes into the batter (with the bananas and the sour cream). Thank you so much for pointing that out.💖 Happy baking.