Banana Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
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Banana Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting has the perfect ratio of cake to frosting. You’re going to love the rich and tangy cream cheese frosting. If you’re wondering what to do with your ripe bananas, this banana sheet cake is the answer!
Table of contents
Banana cake is a delicious way to use up ripe bananas that you have left over at your house.
You’ll need two ripe bananas for this banana sheet cake recipe.
Making a delicious banana sheet cake with cream cheese frosting is a great way to satisfy your sweet tooth without spending too much time or money.
This recipe includes very ripe bananas, which add natural sweetness,
The butter and cream cheese ensure a creamy frosting.
And optional walnuts are great for adding a crunchy topping.
If you’re looking for other banana recipes, try our delicious Banana Nut Bread.
🔑 Key to Success #1 – Use Very Ripe Bananas
When making this delectable dessert, it’s important to use only very ripe bananas.
Bananas are at their sweetest when the peels turn entirely brown.
The darker spots on the peel indicate that the starches have converted into sugars, giving you that sugary-sweet taste you crave in a banana cake.
If your bananas aren’t quite ripe enough, there are a few tricks you can use to speed up the ripening process.
For instance, placing unripe bananas inside a paper bag with an apple will increase ethylene gas production.
This accelerates the ripening of fruits.
You can also place them in direct sunlight for several hours or bake them at 275°F for 15 minutes.
This will soften them up and make them more suitable for baking.
For the banana sheet cake, 2 ripe bananas—or around 1 cup of mashed banana—are required.
Mash the bananas when you’re ready to use them, not beforehand, so that they won’t begin to brown.
Don’t exceed 1 cup of mashed bananas or else the cake will not be as soft.
🔑 Key to Success #2 – Lots of Tangy Cream Cheese
The combination of butter and cream cheese makes for an incredibly flavorful frosting that pairs perfectly with this banana sheet cake.
Creamy cheese gives you all the tanginess you need while butter helps keep everything rich and creamy.
These two ingredients create an unbeatable balance of flavors that will make your mouth water!
It’s important not to use low-fat options here as they won’t give you the same flavor or texture as full-fat versions.
The cream cheese frosting uses two packages of cream cheese to increase the tangy flavor.
Before making the frosting, be sure to soften the butter and cream cheese by allowing them both to rest at room temperature for at least an hour.
It will be much smoother to blend the cream cheese and butter if you let them warm up to room temperature.
Cream the cream cheese and butter with the vanilla extract until the mixture is smooth with a hand mixer or stand mixer.
The powdered sugar should then be added, a little at a time.
To ensure the frosting is thoroughly blended, thoroughly mix it before adding each addition.
Personally, I do not add additional milk to my cream cheese frosting for this cake.
If you feel your frosting is too thick, you can add a little milk to thin it out if you prefer.
This is just personal preference and it’s absolutely okay to add some milk.
🔑 Key to Success #3 – Toast the Walnuts, if you Dare
If desired, adding walnuts makes this banana sheet cake even better!
Walnuts lend an earthy flavor and crunchy texture that elevates your dessert to new levels of deliciousness.
For even more depth of flavor, try lightly toasting your walnuts first!
Toasting brings out their natural sweetness while enhancing their crunch factor.
To toast them, just place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper inside an oven heated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 8-10 minutes or until golden browned.
Be sure to keep an eye on them so they don’t burn!
The walnuts that top this pretty sheet cake are totally optional, but I think they really add something special to the dessert.
If you’re not a fan of nuts, you can skip the walnuts.
It’s best to toast the walnuts before you chop them.
All in all, this banana sheet cake with cream cheese frosting is sure to become one of your favorite desserts thanks to its simple ingredients, ease of preparation, and sumptuous taste!
With just a little effort, some ripe bananas, and a few easy ingredients – you’ll have yourself a scrumptious treat fit for any occasion in no time at all!
📌 Get the Printable Recipe for Banana Sheet Cake
Save this Banana Sheet Cake recipe to your favorite Banana Desserts board or your Baking board.
Banana Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 2 medium ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 ½ cups powdered sugar
For the Topping (optional)
- 1-2 cups walnuts
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a sheet pan (18" x 13" x 1"). Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in eggs, bananas, and vanilla. Switch to low speed and add buttermilk then blend until combined. Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix until just combined.
- Pour batter into greased pan. Bake 16-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center, comes out clean. Cool completely.
Toast the Walnuts (optional)
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Arrange walnuts in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake uncovered for 8-10 minutes, watching carefully.
- Cool completely before finely chopping nuts.
Make the Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a medium bowl, cream together butter and cream cheese using an electric mixer. Add vanilla then slowly add in powdered sugar, beating until light and fluffy.
- Spread frosting all over the cooled cake. Top with chopped nuts.
Notes
Equipment
Nutrition Facts
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Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Confusing recipe. Didn’t notice until I started that the ingredients calls for Buttermilk but the recipe doesn’t say when to add it? Also ingredients called for baking powder and then the recipe says to “add the baking soda” Yikes! I used the baking powder, it’s cooking now. Hopefully it’s correct!