Banana Sheet Cake with cream cheese frosting, made in a quarter sheet pan!
This recipe is sponsored by Rodelle, makers of my favorite vanilla products, baking extracts and cocoa powders!
Banana bread is great, don’t get me wrong, but there are times when I want to put my brown bananas to use in a slightly more upscale way. Enter banana sheet cake with cream cheese frosting! Many apologies to my small batch banana chocolate muffins, by the way.
You guys love my sheet cakes! I use a quarter sheet cake pan, because all I share on this site is smaller-scale recipes for 2-4 people. I use this exact quarter sheet pan, and I love it. Quarter sheet cakes make about 12 slices of cake instead of a 24+ slices. with a regular sheet cake.
My pumpkin sheet cake is feeling the love this year, even people who don’t love pumpkin are declaring it the best pumpkin dessert ever. If you didn’t know, I have a Texas Chocolate Quarter Sheet Cake also on the site. If you’re looking for the Texas White Sheet Cake version, it’s in my latest cookbook, Sweet and Simple: Dessert for Two.
This banana sheet cake uses 2 large bananas to make 1 cup of smushed bananas. I have a lot of recipes here that use only 1 banana, but I’m actually kind of proud that this one uses 2 whole bananas! It bumps up the banana flavor super high, and it makes for the moistest cake ever.
Flavorings for banana sheet cake:
I use Rodelle’s vanilla bean paste when making this banana sheet cake, because I love the marshmallow-like flavor of vanilla bean paste.
Also, I add a dash of freshly grated nutmeg–maybe a scant half-teaspoon, because I think bananas and nutmeg go together really well, but feel free to skip it. Please use whatever spice your Mom uses when she makes banana bread. Sometimes cinnamon is used in banana bread, sometimes not–it’s your call.
A lot of the best banana bread recipes rely on sour cream to make a tender loaf, but since we’re making a sheet cake, I use buttermilk. Real deal well-shaken buttermilk. Don’t worry–you can buy it in smaller containers these days, and leftover buttermilk is great in a small batch of cornbread muffins or mashed potatoes. You’re making my cornbread to prep for my Southern Cornbread Dressing, right?
It’s difficult to chose a suitable frosting for banana sheet cake, because the options are limitless. The chocolate frosting from the Chocolate Quarter Sheet Cake would be excellent, and I imagine that substitute a few scoops of peanut butter for the butter would be insanely delicious. The simple brown butter frosting from the pumpkin sheet cake would be amazing, too.
In the end, I chose a small batch cream cheese frosting, because I have been wanting to share one with you for a while. Plus, you can use this cream cheese frosting on any of the cakes, too!
Banana Sheet Cake
Banana sheet cake made in a quarter sheet pan, topped with cream cheese frosting.
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 large egg white (yolk removed)
- 1 cup mashed banana
- 2 teaspoons Rodelle vanilla bean paste
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
For the cream cheese frosting:
- 5 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon Rodelle vanilla bean paste
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- splash of heavy cream (or buttermilk)
- 1 sliced banana, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 and spray a quarter sheet pan (9" x 13" x 1") with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, buttermilk, egg white, mashed banana, vanilla bean paste, baking soda and nutmeg. Mix very well.
- Pour the banana mixture into the bowl with the flour, and stir until everything is combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 18-19 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. The cake will also start pulling away from the edges of the pan.
- While the cake cools, make the frosting: beat together the cream cheese, butter and Rodelle vanilla bean paste. Slowly add the powdered sugar while mixing and add a splash of milk if it seems too dry.
- Spread the frosting over the cooled cake and top with sliced bananas.
Notes
This recipe uses an egg white only. To browse recipes that use the remaining egg yolk, check my recipe index.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 311Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 45mgSodium: 138mgCarbohydrates: 51gFiber: 1gSugar: 40gProtein: 3g
Thanks so much for posting this today. Can I substitute vanilla extract for vanilla paste? It’s pouring rain and can’t run out for one item????
I used regular vanilla extract and mine came out just fine :)
Yes of course, Sue :) Enjoy!
This looks so good! Isn’t a 9 x 13x 1 pan or dish a regular size dish to make a cake in or is it smaller?
Great question, Lisa! So, sheet cakes are usually baked in pans called ‘half sheet pans’ that measure roughly 18×13″. I’m using a quarter sheet pan that measures roughly 9×12. You’ll get half the serving size of a regular sheet cake :)
I have the same question about vanilla extract instead of vanilla paste. The cake looks so good and just the right size for empty nesters.
Of course, just use the exact same amount of extract :)
I love all your sheetcake recipes! Would you consider doing a peanut butter sheetcake recipe for us?
Made this cake this afternoon and it’s fabulous!! The vanilla bean paste elevates it to a whole new level!!! I’m attending a pot luck get together this weekend and I am bringing this banana cake (I have 2 pans so I may just have to take two cakes…).
Print button does’ seem to be working for this one? Love the cake, but like to print the recipe.
It’s working for me right now…do you have a pop-up blocker turned on, Joyce?
Just found your site and loving what I am seeing. Can’t wait to try some. But am I reading the nutritional fact correctly? 3,676 calories per serving ( and so on)?
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 3676 Total Fat: 114g Saturated Fat: 68g Cholesterol: 312mg Sodium: 2931mg Carbohydrates: 658g Sugar: 512g Protein: 32g
Nutrition facts are a work-in-progress with the plugin I’m using. Sorry about this! It should be corrected in a few weeks.
MADE IT OVER THE WEEKEND AND IT WAS THE PERFECT SIZE FOR MY HUSBAND AND ME. NO DESSERTS REQUIRED WHEN WE WENT OUT TO EAT, CAME HOME AND HAD A DELICIOUS CAKE. WE’RE BANANAS FOR BANANA DESSERTS! I DID NOT HAVE VANILLA BEAN PASTE BUT PURE VANILLA EXTRACT WORKED WELL.
Made this yesterday.. Simple and delicious..
Now I have to make the chocolate cake and the pumpkin cake.. :O)
Ummmm, this looks amazing. First, I just want to say that if I lived in America, or you lived in Canada we would be great friends and drink wine and talk about how cute our daughters are (mine is 15 months now) and how great small batch desserts are! I have zero self control around desserts and after having a baby, it’s now a problem because my metabolism slowed right down. Maybe that’s why I’m just discovering your amazing blog? Either way, I found it now and have been reading it every spare minute I’ve had for the last 2 days. I actually got the Nordic ware quarter sheet pan in a set from Costco with a half sheet pan & full size one and didn’t think I’d use it ever, but now I think it’s the only sheet pan I’ll be using! STARTING WITH THIS CAKE OBV. Btw I’m Steph and I love leaving unnecessarily long comments cause I’m overly chatty :)
awww hi, Steph! It’s so nice to meet you! I so wish you were my neighbor, too! Thanks for stopping by, and thanks for reading :)
Can i make this as muffins? I don’t have a quarter sheet pan or a metal square cake pan
Hmm..your best bet is to use an actual banana muffin recipe here. But you can totally use the cream cheese frosting for muffins :)