Banana Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

I’m the kind of person who buys twice as many bananas as I know we’ll consume, just so I can be sure to have some brown and ugly, overripe ones to bake with. Our favorite banana muffins (usually plain, without the frosting as shown in the post) and sour cream banana bread are definitely the most commonly baked item here in this house. They are moist and tasty and comforting, and we simply never tire of them. They are also extremely easy to put together, a recipe that I can now put our girls in charge of making without my help.

This Banana Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting came about simply because I wanted another form of baked banana goodness to rely on, to mix it up a bit around here. I know many people already have a go-to banana cake in their recipe box. But I did not. So I took the elements I like from those banana muffins, plus my favorite banana bread from Aunt Mary Jane, and came up with an easy banana cake recipe that my family has eagerly embraced.

Since I started playing around with King Arthur’s white whole wheat flour last fall in pumpkin recipes, I’ve discovered that my family especially likes this flour incorporated with bananas. If our oldest daughter hears I’m making banana muffins, she’ll even request that I use the white whole wheat. And nobody argues with her. ;)

So I knew this cake definitely needed to be made with white whole wheat flour…

And it turned out awesome. Everyone loves it. The cake is ultra moist and dense and full of flavor. And with that cream cheese frosting smoothed over the top, warmed up perfectly by cinnamon and allspice…it’s one big pan of delicious comfort. Just one more good reason for me to keep on buying too many bananas!

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Banana Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Yield: 24 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

This Banana Cake is ultra moist and dense, and full of fresh banana flavor. It's finished with a whipped buttercream-cream cheese frosting that's lightly flavored with cinnamon and allspice - so delicious and fun!

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Ingredients

for the banana cake:

• 1¾ cups well-mashed banana (from 3 to 4 large, very ripe bananas)
• 1½ cups sugar
• ¾ cup (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
• ½ cup sour cream
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 3 cups white whole wheat flour
• 1½ teaspoons baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon allspice

for the cinnamon cream cheese frosting:

• 6 ounces full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature (make sure it's not overly soft)
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature (make sure it's not overly soft)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon allspice
• 1¾ cups powdered sugar

Instructions

1. For the banana cake: Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly spray a 9'' x 13'' pan with cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, thoroughly mash the bananas until they are mostly smooth, with only some small lumps. Add the sugar, butter, and sour cream, and stir to combine. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring to combine after each addition. Then stir in the vanilla.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and allspice.
4. Add half the flour mixture to the banana mixture, and fold to combine. Then add the other half of the flour mixture, folding again. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan.
5. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until nicely browned and a toothpick comes out with no wet batter. The cake surface should not jiggle, and it should bounce back when you gently press on the center. Remove from oven and let cool completely before frosting.
6. For the cinnamon cream cheese frosting: With an electric stand mixer, beat cream cheese and butter on medium to medium-high speed, until smooth. Scrape down the bowl.
7. Add vanilla, cinnamon, and allspice. Beat again to combine. Scrape down the bowl.
8. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the powdered sugar until just incorporated. At this point the frosting will have a very loose consistency. Scrape down the bowl.
9. Turn up speed up to medium-high and beat until frosting is thick and aerated, with a fluffy whipped texture - about 90 seconds.
10. To finish: Spread frosting evenly over cake. Slice to serve.

Notes

Store any leftover cake in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I really like to eat this cake cold. :)

Adapted from my favorite banana bread and banana bread muffins.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 227Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 44mgSodium: 159mgCarbohydrates: 36gFiber: 2gSugar: 23gProtein: 4g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Nutritionix. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your own favorite calculator.

Did you make this recipe?

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