Description
Sumptuous banana bread cake with cream cheese frosting celebrates classic comfort desserts with rich Mediterranean influences. Luscious layers combine moist banana-infused cake and silky cream cheese, ensuring pure delight for those craving sweet indulgence.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 ½ cups mashed bananas (about 3 large ripe bananas)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar (packed)
- ½ cup unsalted butter (softened)
- ½ cup sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt)
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- 8 oz (226 g) cream cheese (softened)
- ½ cup unsalted butter (softened)
- 4 cups powdered sugar (sifted)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 12 tbsps (180 ml) heavy cream or milk (optional, to adjust consistency)
- Chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
- Banana slices (optional)
- Sprinkle of cinnamon (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat Preparation: Configure the oven to 350F (175C) and line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper or lightly grease the surface.
- Dry Ingredient Composition: Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl until uniformly blended, then set aside.
- Creaming Process: Utilize an electric mixer to transform butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar into a light, voluminous mixture, achieving a fluffy consistency through 2-3 minutes of continuous beating.
- Wet Ingredient Integration: Incorporate eggs one at a time, ensuring complete blending after each addition, then fold in vanilla extract to elevate the aromatic profile. Smoothly mix in sour cream and thoroughly mashed bananas until the batter achieves a harmonious texture.
- Batter Fusion: Delicately fold the dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredients, stirring minimally to preserve the cake’s tender structure. Mix just until components are combined, avoiding overmixing which can result in a dense texture.
- Baking and Cooling: Pour the silky batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the surface with a spatula. Bake for 30-35 minutes, checking doneness by inserting a toothpick that should emerge clean. Allow the cake to cool completely within the pan before applying cream cheese frosting.
Notes
- Banana Ripeness Matters: Use overripe, soft bananas with dark brown spots for maximum sweetness and deeper banana flavor. The more mature the bananas, the more intense and rich the cake’s taste will be.
- Prevent Dry Texture: Avoid overmixing the batter to maintain a tender, moist cake. Stir ingredients just until combined, stopping when no flour streaks remain. Overmixing activates gluten, leading to a tough, dense result.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Ensure butter, eggs, and sour cream are at room temperature before mixing. This helps create a smoother, more uniform batter and allows ingredients to blend more evenly, resulting in a better cake texture.
- Frosting Application Technique: Cool the cake completely before adding cream cheese frosting. Applying frosting to a warm cake will cause it to melt and slide off, compromising the cake’s appearance and texture.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Breakfast, Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 13
- Calories: 360
- Sugar: 30 g
- Sodium: 200 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 48 g
- Fiber: 1.5 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 55 mg