This moist, fluffy banana cake is packed with bananas and topped with a caramel-y browned butter frosting. It’s a great way to use up overripe bananas!
Banana Cake with Browned Butter Frosting
Banana cake is a traditional sheet cake that uses real banana fruit to add moisture and flavor to the cake. This sweet cake is studded with fresh banana and topped with a rich and caramel-y brown butter frosting. Banana cake is a classic southern dessert and a staple at potlucks and summer picnics because it is easy to prepare and almost impossible to bake a dry cake because the bananas keep it so moist.
Bananas first appeared on the US mainland in the late 1800s, and by the mid-20th century they had become a popular dessert ingredient. The invention of refrigerated ships allowed the United States to import bananas from other countries where they grew better, without the fruit spoiling on the trip. Today, the United States is the world’s number one importer of bananas.
This might just be the best banana cake recipe I’ve found, because the old-fashioned cake recipe and a browned sugar icing makes it unique. While many banana cake recipes that you’ll find online use cream cheese frosting, browned sugar icing is actually a more old-fashioned dessert topping. In fact, our family cinnamon roll recipe uses a browned butter glaze rather than cream cheese icing too!
Browned butter icing is exactly as it sounds: butter and sugar are heated together in a skillet until everything starts to turn golden brown and caramelize a bit. Then you remove the icing from heat and whip it up so it is fluffy a with delicious hints of caramel flavor. If you haven’t tried it before, this homemade icing is a real treat!
Cake Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- 3-4 ripe bananas, peeled and mashed
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Frosting Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-4 Tablespoons heavy cream
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Helpful Kitchen Tools
- 9×13″ baking pan or baking dish
- Large mixing bowl
- Electric Mixer
Instructions
Yield: 12-16 servings, depending on how you slice the cake.
To Make the Cake:
To Prep: Preheat oven to 375°F and grease a 9×13-inch baking pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- In a separate large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer), cream together the granulated sugar and softened butter with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs.
- Beat in the sour cream, mashed bananas, and vanilla extract.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients, mixing until just combined.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan. Spread with a spatula if needed. Bake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, then remove the cake from the oven and cool to room temperature.
Frosting Directions
- Place the butter in a large skillet over medium heat and cook until the butter melts and begins to turn a light golden brown.
- Remove pan from heat and whisk in the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. The frosting will still be thick and chunky at this point.
- Add 2 Tablespoons of heavy whipping cream and whisk until the frosting is smooth. If needed, add a little more cream until you have a smooth consistency.
- Spread the frosting evenly on top of the cooled cake.
Prep Tips
- Bananas – You can use any type of banana you have on hand for this recipe, even those that are slightly less than ripe or slightly green bananas. However, I do recommend using ripe or overripe bananas because they are softer and sweeter, so you’ll end up with the ideal texture and richer banana flavor.
- Storage – The cake keeps best refrigerated, in an airtight container or in the original pan wrapped in aluminum foil or plastic wrap. It can stay in the refrigerator for up to five days. You can also freeze the cake for up to 3 months in a freezer safe container.
- Variations – Plain Greek yogurt can be substituted for sour cream. If you like nuts, you can add 3/4 cup of chopped walnuts or chopped pecans to the cake batter or as a topping/garnish. You can also add extra sliced bananas on top for garnish, but I recommend adding those right before you serve the cake so they don’t have a chance to brown.
More Old Fashioned Cake Recipes To Try
- Pineapple Carrot Cake
- Ooey Gooey Butter Cake
- Blueberry Buckle Cake
- Poor Man’s Cake
- Vintage Light Fruit Cake
- Chocolate Depression Cake
Banana Cake Recipe (Printable Recipe Card)
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Banana Cake with Browned Butter Frosting
Equipment
- Electric Mixer
- Mixing bowls
- 9X13 baking pan
Ingredients
Cake Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- 3-4 ripe bananas peeled and mashed
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Frosting Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-4 Tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
- To Prep: Preheat oven to 375°F and grease a 9x13-inch baking pan.
Cake Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, cream together the granulated sugar and softened butter with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs.
- Beat in the sour cream, mashed bananas, and vanilla extract.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients, mixing until just combined.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan. Spread with a spatula if needed. Bake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, then remove the cake from the oven and cool to room temperature.
Frosting Directions
- Place the butter in a large skillet over medium heat and cook until the butter melts and begins to turn a light golden brown.
- Remove pan from heat and whisk in the powdered sugar and vanilla. The frosting will still be thick and chunky at this point.
- Add 2 Tablespoons of heavy whipping cream and whisk until the frosting is smooth. If needed, add a little more cream until you have a smooth consistency.
- Spread the frosting evenly on top of the cooled cake.
Notes
Nutrition
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