Sandra Ina Garten Banana Cake Recipe is an American-style bake made with overripe bananas and sour cream. This fluffy cake features a thick layer of tangy cream cheese frosting and warm cinnamon.
The first time I made this, I used bananas that were only yellow. Now I always wait until the skins are covered in dark brown spots. If you use fruit that isn’t soft and patchy, the cake tastes like plain sponge instead of deep, sweet banana.
The sour cream is doing more work than you’d think. Without it, the crumb feels open and dry rather than dense and soft. I’ve tried a few versions of banana bakes and this one from Ina is the one I keep going back to because the frosting stays thick and holds its shape on top.
Ina Garten Banana Cake Recipe Ingredients
For the Cake
- 115g (4oz) unsalted butter, softened
- 200g (7oz) granulated sugar
- 100g (3.5oz) light brown sugar, packed
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 250ml (9fl oz) mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large)
- 125ml (4fl oz) sour cream
- 250g (9oz) plain flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- 225g (8oz) cream cheese, softened
- 115g (4oz) unsalted butter, softened
- 375g (13oz) icing sugar, sifted
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
How To Make Ina Garten Banana Cake Recipe
- Preheat the oven: Set the temperature to 180°C (350°F/Gas Mark 4). Grease and flour a 23x33cm (9x13in) baking tin or line it with greaseproof paper.
- Cream butter and sugars: Put the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar into a large bowl and beat them together until the mixture looks pale and feels like wet sand.
- Add eggs and vanilla: Mix in the eggs one at a time, making sure each one is fully combined before adding the next. Stir in the vanilla extract.
- Mix bananas and sour cream: Add the mashed bananas and sour cream to the bowl and stir until the batter looks uniform.
- Combine dry ingredients: Whisk the plain flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon together in a separate bowl. Slowly add this to the wet mixture and stir until you can no longer see white streaks of flour.
- Bake the cake: Pour the batter into your prepared tin and smooth it out to the edges. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a skewer poked into the centre comes out clean.
- Prepare the frosting: Beat the cream cheese and butter in a clean bowl until the lumps have vanished. Add the icing sugar in stages and beat until the frosting is white and holds a peak when you lift the whisk.
- Frost the cake: Wait until the cake is stone cold in the tin before you spread the frosting over the top with a flat knife.
Recipe Tips
Use a fork for mashing. Do not put the bananas in a blender or they will turn into a thin liquid that makes the cake gummy. A few small lumps in the mash are fine and add texture to the finished crumb.
Sift the icing sugar. Skipping this step results in tiny white dots of dry sugar in your frosting that are impossible to beat out later. Pass it through a fine mesh sieve before you add it to the cream cheese.
Check your baking soda. If your soda has been open in the cupboard for more than six months, replace it. This cake relies on the chemical reaction between the sour cream and the soda to rise.
Cool the cake completely. If the sponge is even slightly warm, the butter in the cream cheese frosting will melt and slide off the sides. Give it at least two hours on a wire rack.
Avoid overmixing the flour. Once the dry ingredients hit the wet batter, stir only until the flour disappears. Too much stirring develops gluten, which turns a light cake into something tough and chewy.
What To Serve With Banana Cake
Serve a slice of this cake with a hot cup of coffee or a strong espresso to cut through the sweet frosting. It also works as a proper dessert with a handful of fresh raspberries or blueberries on the side.
If you want something more indulgent, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a scatter of toasted walnuts. A drizzle of salted caramel sauce over the frosting turns it into a real showstopper.
How To Store Banana Cake
Fridge
Keep the cake in an airtight tin in the fridge for up to 4 days. Because of the cream cheese in the frosting, it must stay cold to prevent the dairy from spoiling.
Reheat
Eat this cake cold or at room temperature. If you must warm it, take a slice out of the fridge 30 minutes before eating so the sponge softens naturally without melting the frosting.
Freeze
Wrap individual unfrosted slices in clingfilm and freeze for up to 2 months. If you freeze it frosted, place the cake on a tray in the freezer for an hour to harden the icing before wrapping it tightly.
Ina Garten Banana Cake Recipe Nutrition Facts
Per serving (1 of 12):
- Calories: 480 kcal
- Protein: 5g
- Fat: 24g
- Carbohydrates: 60g
- Sugar: 40g
- Sodium: 250mg
Estimated. May vary based on ingredients and cooking methods.
FAQs
Yes, let them thaw completely in a bowl and drain away the dark liquid before mashing them into the batter.
This usually happens if the oven door is opened too early or if the baking soda is old and failed to hold the weight of the fruit.
Make sure both the butter and the cream cheese are at room temperature before you start beating them together.
Ina Garten Banana Cake Recipe
Description
A moist banana sponge enriched with sour cream and topped with a thick, velvety layer of cream cheese frosting.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas Mark 4) and line a 23x33cm tin.
- Cream the butter and both sugars until pale then beat in the eggs and vanilla.
- Stir in the mashed bananas and sour cream until combined.
- Fold in the dry ingredients until just mixed and pour into the tin.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.
- Beat the softened cream cheese, butter, and icing sugar until fluffy.
- Spread the frosting over the completely cooled cake and serve.
