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Sourdough Banana Cake

Use your discard sourdough starter to make this sweet, moist cake, topped with an easy cream cheese frosting.

A true dessert recipe, this cake is moist, slightly tangy, and has a great banana flavor. Topped with the perfect cream cheese icing, it’s a dessert you’ll love.

square slice of sourdough banana cake with cream cheese frosting

❤️ Why you’ll love this recipe

This is an overview of the ingredients. You’ll find the full measurements and instructions in the printable recipe at the bottom of the page.

bananas, sourdough starter, baking soda, flour, sugar, powdered sugar on marble counter

You’ll need the following for this yummy snack cake:

  • very ripe bananas 
  • sugar
  • brown sugar
  • vegetable oil
  • eggs
  • vanilla
  • flour
  • baking soda
  • salt
  • sourdough starter 
  • non-stick baking spray

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  • square or round cake pan
  • hand mixer
  • spatula

🍴Instructions

Make the cake

process of making sourdough banana cake- beating sugar, oil, and bananas, mixing in dry ingredients, adding starter, and baking

Before you get started, preheat your oven to 350 with a rack in the center.

Step one: Wet ingredients

This is an easy recipe and since it’s vegetable oil-based, there’s no need to break out the stand mixer. A hand mixer will work fine. Mash up your bananas a little bit to help them blend in easily.

First beat the oil, sugars, and banana in a large mixing bowl with your mixer on medium speed. Add the egg and vanilla, and mix until combined.

Step two: Add dry ingredients

Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a separate large mixing bowl. Add the dry ingredients 1/3 at a time, mixing on low until just combined after each addition. Add the sourdough starter and stir in by hand. Don’t worry, the starter doesn’t make the cake taste sour at all.

Step three: Bake

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Carefully turn the cake out onto the cooling rack. Allow it to cool completely before frosting.

Make the frosting

round cake with cream cheese frosting

Beat the cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl until smooth. Add the vanilla and mix until combined. Add half the powdered sugar and beat on low. Add the remaining powdered sugar and beat on low until combined, then increase the speed to medium and beat for 1 minute.

🥫 Storage instructions

Cover and refrigerate any leftovers for up to 5 days. The cake freezes well unfrosted.

🔍 FAQs

Can I leave out the frosting?

Sure, and that way you can feel good about eating it for breakfast.

Can I use a different fruit instead of bananas?

Ummm…. no. It would be a totally different recipe and that’s too confusing.

👩🏻‍🍳 Expert tips

  • Don’t overmix the batter.
  • This recipe is quite sweet and you can safely reduce the sugar by about 1/3 and still get a good result.
  • Make sure your bananas are very ripe and soft or they won’t properly incorporate into the batter.

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📖 Here’s the recipe

4.67 from 9 votes

Sourdough Banana Cake

Print Recipe
Use your discard sourdough starter to make this sweet, moist cake, topped with an easy cream cheese frosting.
Prep Time:30 minutes
Cook Time:50 minutes
Total Time:1 hour 20 minutes
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Ingredients

Cake

  • 2 very ripe bananas masheed
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup sourdough starter discard or unfed

Frosting

  • 4 ounces cream cheese room temperature
  • 6 tablespoons butter room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2.5 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

Make the Cake

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees with the rack in center. Prepare a 9 inch round or square cake pan with cooking spray or shortening dusted with flour
  • Beat the oil, sugars, and banana in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed. Add the egg and vanilla, mix until combined.
  • Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a separate large mixing bowl. Add the dry ingredients 1/3 at a time, mixing on low until just combined after each addition. Add the sourdough starter and stir in by hand.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Carefully turn cake out onto cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
  • Cut into wedges or squares to serve. Cover and refrigerate any leftovers for up to 5 days.

Make the Frosting

  • Beat the cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl until smooth. Add the vanilla and mix until combined. Add half the powdered sugar and beat on low. Add the remaining powdered sugar and beat on low until combined, then increase the speed to medium and beat for 1 minute.

Notes

You can bake this in a loaf form as well but it will need at least 60 minutes of baking time.
Don’t like cream cheese frosting?   Try a caramel frosting instead!  

Nutrition

Calories: 333kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 39mg | Sodium: 238mg | Potassium: 57mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 179IU | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 1mg
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: sourdough banana cake, sourdough cake recipe, sourdough desserts, sourdough discard recipes
Servings: 12 slices
Calories: 333kcal
Author: Katie Shaw
Did you make this recipe?If you loved it, please leave a review!

Hope you enjoy this sourdough cake recipe!

signature with strawberries

6 thoughts on “Sourdough Banana Cake”

  1. 4 stars
    Good flavor, doubled for 9 X 13. Rose up beautifully. This is dense, more like a quick bread than a cake. Next time I’ll do in loaf pan and skip icing.

    Reply
  2. Hi! I was looking for a banana cake recipe that also used sourdough discard and I found yours! Excited to try it! I am confused by the pan sizes mentioned – you say use either a 9″ round or square. Those two pans are not really equivalent in volume and swapping them will make for very different baking times and cake size. (a 9″ round has 63.5″ area and holds approx 8 cups of batter. A 9″ square is 81″ area and holds 10cups batter) Which shape pan do you typically use with the baking time indicated on the recipe for the best success? Thanks so much!

    Reply

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