Banana Sheet Cake with Salted Caramel Cream Cheese Icing

Turn extra ripe bananas into this delicious banana sheet cake. The soft and caramelly creamy cheese icing takes it to the next level. The large size and easy of preparation makes it perfect for parties, potlucks, and more.

Spatula lifting slice of banana cake with light tan caramel icing out of half sheet pan.

If you have extra ripe bananas, this yummy sheet cake recipe is just the thing for you. It is an easy dessert that is sized for a crowd.

The cake is good in its own right, but the brown sugar and cream cheese icing takes it from good to great. This is a dessert you are going to be proud to share.

Turning Extra Bananas Into Cake

I know, I know… always with the banana recipes.  You guys, I can’t help it!  

I am not sure if you are thanking me or cursing me, so I choose to think you are loving this crazy banana baked good roller coaster.  Here’s what happened:

Little Dude went on a banana bender.  He HAD to have one every night before bed for a couple of weeks running.  

Pieces of banana cake topped with brown sugar caramel icing stacked on top of each other, ready to eat.

Our supply was dwindling quickly, so I bought another bunch and then the bedtime banana ritual stopped as quickly as it started.

You never know with this kid.  So the bananas sat.

And ripened. And ripened. And sat.  

Until there was only one thing to do, BAKE! Boo hoo!

But if you are supposed to make lemonade out of life’s lemons, I figure you should make banana cake out of life’s overripe bananas too.  It only seems right.  

We had dinner planned at my brothers’ house on Friday, so I offered to bring dessert.  We loved the combo and banana and caramel on Di’s Banana Cake.  So, I thought I would switch it up a bit.

I love sheet cakes.  They are so easy to put together.  

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They can be cut into teeny tiny squares for the strange people who “don’t really like sweets.” What does that even mean?!  

Or great big giant bars for those of us who practice portion control by only having one piece, no matter the size.

The Icing

Now let’s get to the frosting.  MMMMM, frosting!  Of course, one of my favorite parts of any cake.

I wanted the creamy feeling of cream cheese mixed with a rich caramel flavor.  This icing is still a bit warm when you spread it, so it goes on super smooth and then it sets up a bit as it cools.

You can certainly adjust how salty you would like your salted caramel.  I’d suggest you put at least a quarter teaspoon in for balance.  I went full boor and put almost a whole teaspoon in.  

Then for added affect, I sprinkled a couple of grains of super coarse sea salt on a few pieces as I served them.  It added a little crunch an that pop of salty sweet flavor.  So fun!

More Recipes Using Ripe Bananas

We love banana baked goods around here. Whether it’s banana chocolate cupcakes or something a bit healthier like banana baked oatmeal, it’s bound to be a hit with our crew. 
 
If you are looking for a banana cake that’s ready for a party, check out the star-spangled banana cake. It has 4 layers of moist banana cake, loads of fluffy white frosting and a sprinkling of coconut.

If you aren’t in the mood to bake, banana rice pudding is a great option. Or your can freeze them and turn them into chocolate peanut butter nice cream.

What are your favorite things to do with those extra bananas?

Spatula lifting slice of banana cake with light tan caramel icing out of half sheet pan.
4.86 from 21 ratings

Banana Sheet Cake with Salted Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting

Author: Carlee
Servings: 24 Servings
Turn those extra bananas into this delicious banana sheet cake. The soft and caramelly creamy cheese frosting takes it to the next level! Perfect for potlucks and parties, this is sure to be a winner!
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 40 minutes
Total: 1 hour

Ingredients 

Cake

  • cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon vinegar
  • 1⅔ cup granulated sugar
  • cup butter
  • 3 large bananas very ripe
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • cups all purpose flour

Frosting

  • ½ cup butter
  • 1 cup light brown sugar packed
  • cup whole milk
  • ½ teaspoon salt*
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 4 oz cream cheese softened
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
Makes: 13 x 18inch rectangle

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray a 13x18x1-inch half sheet pan.
  • Mix milk and vinegar, set aside
    ⅔ cup milk, 1 teaspoon vinegar
  • In mixer bowl, cream together the butter and sugar.  
    1⅔ cup granulated sugar, ⅓ cup butter
  • Add bananas, eggs & vanilla and mix until smooth.
    3 large bananas, 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Stir dry ingredients into banana mixture.  Add soured milk and stir until just combined.
    1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, 2¼ cups all purpose flour
  • Spread in prepared sheet pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, rotating half way through bake time.  Remove from oven and set aside to cool before frosting.
  • Once cake is cooled, start on the frosting.  
  • In a small saucepan, melt butter.  Add brown sugar, milk and salt and cook over medium heat until the sugar is fully dissolved, about two minutes.
    ½ cup butter, 1 cup light brown sugar, ⅓ cup whole milk, ½ teaspoon salt*
  • Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
    1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
  • In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth and fluffy.
    4 oz cream cheese
  • Pour butter and brown sugar mixture into the bowl a little bit at a time, mixing after each addition. Beat on medium speed until the cream cheese is completely incorporated.
  • Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth.  Spread over cake and allow to set before serving. 
    2 cups powdered sugar

Notes

Start by adding a half teaspoon of salt to the icing and then give it a taste. Add more until you get your desired level of salted caramel flavor. Alternatively, keep the salt in the icing at 1/2 teaspoon and then sprinkle a small amount of coarse salt over the top before serving.

Video

YouTube video

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Nutrition Information

Serving: 1Serving | Calories: 263kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 219mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 33g
“Cooking With Carlee” is not a dietitian or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

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4.86 from 21 votes (20 ratings without comment)

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65 Comments

  1. I am loving this combination of flavors with the banana and caramel. Genius Carlee! And sheet cakes are one of my favorite cakes to make. So easy to just throw into one big pan. 😀

    1. Thanks, Michele! I love them too, they are so easy and great for a crowd!

  2. Ruthie Ridley says:

    Salted caramel cream cheese frosting?!? That sounds so amaizing. Thanks for sharing!

    1. Thank you, it really is pretty amazing!

  3. Hi Carlee, now this is a recipe I can make. Bananas and caramel are a match made in heaven. In the summer bananas ripen very quickly here, so I pop them in the freezer until I want them for baking, making ice cream or adding to a smoothie.

    Definitely a Friday treat bake!

    xx

    1. Maybe that's what it is, the warmer weather is making them ripen faster. It seems sometimes they can sit for forever and be fine and other times they are mush in a few days. Mine rarely have a chance to make it to the freezer, I am too excited to bake with them!

  4. This looks delicious! I love all things banana and with caramel? An extra bonus. I love sheet cakes, too. They are much easier than the real deal!

    1. Aren't they though? No muss, no fuss and delicious to boot! Thank you!

  5. oh my goodness this cake sounds fabulous! i am going to have to make this soon.

    1. Thank you, I hope you love it!

  6. Banana cake is one of my favorite cakes. And the salted caramel frosting sounds soooo good with it! Stumbled your post.

    Andrea
    Andrea’s Wellness Notes

    1. Thank you! We have really been into banana cakes and muffins lately too. They are so darn versatile! And of course the caramel only makes it better!

  7. Anonymous says:

    I totally see a great dessert for the Bunco ladies. I love finding something new and fresh, that no one's ever made before 🙂 (found you on WAYWOW).

    1. I am sure it will be a hit! Thank you!

  8. www.liliesandlambs.com says:

    Yum! This looks delicious!

  9. Cara (Kindly Unspoken) says:

    These look so good! Somehow I've never combined the flavors of caramel with banana, but that sounds heavenly! Trying these out soon! 🙂

    1. Thank you! They really are amazing together, I hope you love it!

  10. I love banana cake, but that frosting sounds ah-mazing!

    1. They are so good together!