Banana Cake With Vanilla Frosting

I’m bananas over this cake. (Bet you’ve never heard that one before, but I couldn’t resist.. 😉 )

In all seriousness, I’ve wanted to make this banana cake for a while now. Why? Uhm, isn’t the answer obvious? We’re talking about cake, here. I haven’t made it until now because I’m not the greatest at making cakes or frosting them, especially frosting them. One time I threw an entire cake away because I tried to spread the frosting on it before it had cooled completely and the frosting melted and got weird.

I learned two things that day. One, the cake must cool completely before you cover it with frosting. In other words, if you have any doubts about whether it’s still warm, then wait and then maybe wait some more. Two, do not ever throw away a cake if it’s edible. Ever. Your family will NEVER let you forget it.

When I found this cake recipe I noticed that it’s only one layer. Good because the whole two layer cake deal stresses me out. Maybe that’s the perfectionist coming out. I also noticed that you make it in a square pan. Well, heck, I make brownies all the time, so this is essentially going through the same motions, right? I can totally make this cake. So I finally made it and it did not disappoint and it came out great. (My husband points out that I may have been worrying for no reason again.)

It’s moist and super duper delicious. This cake is essentially a banana bread minus the spices, or perhaps like a vanilla cake with banana flavor.

I spread the icing on this bad boy in a rustic way. It just seems that’s the easiest way for me to do it and not get all bonkers about it being perfectly smooth. Honestly I should probably just try to ice all my cakes that way. It’s conveniently impossible to get it wrong.

I was going to use a cream cheese frosting instead of the vanilla frosting, but I thought that wouldn’t be a fair fight for the cake. You know, because anything covered in cream cheese frosting is freaking amazing. It’s like adding bacon to any dish… of course it will be delicious, but it’s totally cheating and you may never know if it would have been delicious without the help. I love the cake with this vanilla frosting, but I also think cream cheese frosting would be a great alternative if that’s what you prefer or if you’ve made this cake seven times and want a little variety. 😉

Banana Cake with Vanilla Frosting Recipe
(9 servings)

Ingredients for the Cake:

2/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter, softened
3/4 cup mashed ripe bananas (equivalent to about 2 bananas)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Ingredients for the Frosting:

4 tablespoons butter, softened
2 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions for the Cake:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease and 8 x 8 inch baking pan and set it aside. (I lay down parchment paper in order to remove it from the pan to take photos but that is not required.)
In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, sour cream, egg, and butter.
Mix in the mashed bananas and vanilla extract.
Mix in the flour, salt, and baking soda.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan.
Bake it for 20 to 25 minutes or until a tester inserted comes out clean.
Let the cake cool completely before icing. (Seriously!)

Directions for the Frosting: