Sour Cream Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

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Soft, light, and full of banana flavor, this Sour Cream Banana Cake is the BEST banana cake ever! Finished with a thick layer of cream cheese frosting, this easy recipe makes an irresistible dessert!

Slice of banana cake with cream cheese frosting on white plate.

While Peanut Butter Banana Muffins are delicious, Banana Pudding never disappoints, and everyone loves Homemade Banana Bread, NOTHING tops this recipe for Banana Cake.

Along with Hot Milk Cake and Lemon Bread, this recipe for Banana Cake is a family favorite from my Great Grandma's collection of recipes. While a bold statement, I don't hesitate for a moment to state that this is the absolute best recipe for Banana Cake.

Reasons this is the Best Banana Cake

Amazing Flavor. This cake is rich, buttery, perfectly sweet, and finished with the most irresistible thick and creamy cream cheese frosting.
The Perfect Crumb. Thanks in part to the addition of sour cream, this banana cake is light and fluffy and nearly melts in your mouth. It is EVERYTHING a good cake should be and more.
Super Easy Recipe. As far as cake recipes go, Banana Cake is one of the easiest options. You don't even need a stand mixer to make this one-layer cake!
Crowd-Pleasing Dessert Recipe. Everyone I have served this to RAVES over it! My husband asks me to make this Banana Cake at least once a week and it is easy enough to whip together I wouldn't mind making it weekly--not that I do 😉

Notes on Key Ingredients

Ingredients labeled for banana cake and cream cheese icing on white counter.

Sour Cream: Be sure to use full-fat sour cream for the best results. Low-fat and reduced-fat sour cream have added stabilizers and extra water content that won't create the same texture or taste.
Butter: Use softened unsalted butter in the cake batter and cream cheese frosting. Using butter in the cake batter rather than oil produces bakery-like results.
Bananas: For the best flavor in this banana cake, select bananas that are beginning to turn brown and soft to the touch. This recipe uses 1 cup of mashed banana which translates to about 3 small bananas.
Flour: No need to use cake flour for this banana cake, all-purpose flour works perfectly.
Cream Cheese Frosting: The frosting is a classic recipe made with just cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and milk.
- Cream Cheese: Use full-fat or reduced-fat, not fat-free cream cheese for best results.
- Milk: Any variety of milk or cream works to thin the frosting to a spreadable consistency.

Optional Additions

Add Chocolate Chips: Add up to 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips to the flour mixture before combining with the dry ingredients.
Add Walnuts: Feel free to add up to 1 cup of chopped walnuts to the flour mixture before combining the wet and dry ingredients. Coating the nuts in flour will help prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the cake.

How to Make Banana Cake

The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Step One: Prepare the Sour Cream Banana Cake

The cake batter comes together with a similar process and consistency to Banana Bread. Combining the wet and dry ingredients separately and then folding them together until the flour is fully moistened, will help to ensure this cake is not overworked and stays light and airy.

Metal sifter with flour, baking soda, and salt in it over a mixing bowl.

Bowl with creamed butter, sugar, eggs, and banana next to ripe bananas.

Sour Cream Banana Cake Batter in large mixing bowl after wet and dry ingredients have been folded together.

Banana Cake Batter spread out in a 9x13 white baking dish.

Baked Banana Cake in 9x13 white cake pan with golden brown coloring.

Step Two: Prepare the Cream Cheese Frosting

The sweet, yet tangy cream cheese frosting is the perfect finishing touch to this banana cake, as it compliments the sour cream in the cake batter. It is as easy to prepare as mixing the butter and cream cheese until fluffy and smooth, adding in powdered sugar, and thinning with milk until the desired consistency is reached. You want a frosting that is thick and spreadable, not a thin glaze like you would use for Homemade Cinnamon Rolls.

Cream butter and cream sugar in a large mixing bowl for cream cheese frosting.

Mixing bowl with cream cheese frosting next to ripe bananas.

Cream Cheese Frosted Banana Cake in white cake pan.

∗ Tips for Perfect Banana Cake ∗

Be sure your butter and eggs are room temperature so that they beat up light and fluffy. This will keep your cake light and tender.
Use full-fat sour cream. Sour cream is the secret to making this the very best banana cake recipe ever. It adds moisture to the cake and the acidity from the sour cream activates the baking soda, which in turn causes the cake to rise and be light and fluffy.
Use overripe bananas. If your bananas don't have brown spots on them, they are not ready to be used for this banana cake. Brown or yellow bananas with brown speckles will yield more sweetness and a more intense flavor.
Don't overbake or underbake. 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.
Refrigerate before serving. While you can absolutely dig into this cake immediately after icing, I have found the flavors get better after the cake has been chilled for at least 2 hours.

Storage Instructions

Storage: Banana Cake is VERY moist and should be refrigerated once cooled, even if uniced. Iced or uniced store the cake, covered with a lid or plastic wrap, for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
Freeze: Banana cake also freezes beautifully, even when frosted with cream cheese frosting. To freeze this cake, I suggest baking 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.

Recipe FAQs

What if my bananas aren't ripe?

It is CRUCIAL to use ripe bananas for the best flavor. However, if your bananas are not ripe you can roast them to bring out their sweetness and soften them quickly. 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.

Is the icing necessary?

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.

Can I make a layer cake with this recipe?

Yes! If you want 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. Cool the cakes for 10 minutes and then remove the layers and allow to cool fully before icing. You will want to double the frosting as well.

More Favorite Banana Recipes

I hope your family and friends enjoy this banana cake as much as my family does. And I would love for you to leave a comment and review below if you gave this cake recipe a try.