Banana Cake with Coconut Frosting

From the kitchen of Carly

Deeply moist banana cake built on brown sugar and sour cream, topped with creamy coconut frosting. The kind of cake that tastes homey and sophisticated at once, with just enough tang to balance the fruit's natural sweetness.

Banana Cake with Coconut Frosting

Deeply moist banana cake gets its backbone from brown sugar and sour cream, which keeps it tender for days. The coconut frosting cuts through that richness with cream cheese and a hit of rum, so it tastes tropical without veering into dessert-shop territory. Toast the coconut before sprinkling if you want it darker and more pronounced.

Prep
n/a
Cook
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Total
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Servings
4
Difficulty
medium

Ingredients

4 servings

  • 1 stickunsalted butter, softened, plus additional for greasing pan
  • 1 1/2 cupall-purpose flour plus additional for dusting pan
  • 1 1/2 tspbaking powder
  • 1/2 tspbaking soda
  • 1/2 tspsalt
  • 3/4 cuppacked light brown sugar
  • 1 largeegg
  • 3/4 cupwell-mashed very ripe bananas
  • 1/4 cupsour cream
  • 1/2 tspvanilla
  • 3 ozcream cheese, softened
  • 3 tbspunsalted butter, softened
  • 1/3 cupconfectioners sugar
  • 3 tbspwell-stirred canned cream of coconut such as Coco López
  • 1 tspdark rum
  • 1/3 cupsweetened flaked coconut

Instructions

  1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F.

  2. Lightly butter a 9-inch round cake pan, dust it with flour, then knock out any excess.

  3. In a small bowl, whisk together the 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined.

  4. Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat the 1 stick of butter and brown sugar in a large bowl until pale and fluffy. Drop in the egg and beat until incorporated, then add the bananas, sour cream, and vanilla and beat until everything comes together well. Switch to low speed, pour in the flour mixture, and mix until just incorporated.

  5. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the top is pale golden and a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.

  6. Let the cake rest in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Slide a thin knife around the edge to loosen it, then place the rack over the cake, flip the whole thing, and let the cake cool completely on the rack.

  7. With clean beaters and a fresh bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together on medium speed until smooth. Drop to low, add the confectioners sugar, cream of coconut, and rum if using, and mix until combined. Crank the speed up to high and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

  8. Spread the frosting across the top of the cooled cake and finish with a generous scatter of sweetened flaked coconut.

Tips from the kitchen

  • Cream of coconut (like Coco López) is thicker and sweeter than coconut milk, so don't swap them here. Stir the can well before measuring. Brown sugar clumps easily, so pack it firmly when measuring to avoid a dry crumb.
  • Very ripe bananas mean dark skin with brown spots. If your bananas are pale, the cake won't have enough flavor or moisture. Mash them on a plate with a fork until no lumps remain.
  • Frost the cake only once it's completely cool, or the frosting will melt and slide off. A thin offset spatula makes the job easier, but a regular butter knife works fine too.

Variations

  • Skip the rum and add 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract instead for a nonalcoholic version that's just as fragrant.
  • Swap the cream of coconut for 3 tablespoons of dulce de leche mixed with 1 tablespoon milk for a caramel-frosted banana cake.
  • Mix toasted unsweetened coconut into the frosting itself instead of sprinkling it on top for more coconut flavor throughout.

Make ahead and storage

Store covered at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerate for up to 4 days. The cake keeps well frozen (wrapped tightly) for up to 1 month, though the frosting may separate slightly when thawed. Let it come to room temperature before serving.