Banana Chocolate Chip Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

October is coming. The light in Alabama shifts in October in a way that is specific to this latitude, a golden quality that the summer does not have. The kids at the daycare are suddenly interested in leaves, which have begun to turn, bringing them inside and pressing them in books and painting with them. Caleb carries one dried oak leaf everywhere like a talisman. I do not tell him to put it down. Some things you carry because they help.

I have a midterm in two weeks and I have been studying in the evenings after I cook dinner. The reading is dense but it is also genuinely interesting to me in a way I did not fully expect. I knew about attachment from experience, from my own childhood and from working with the toddlers. But having the language for it, the theory, the research, makes what I already knew feel more solid under me. Like putting a floor under something that was floating.

This week I made banana bread. Not banana pudding, which I have mastered, but banana bread, which is entirely different and which I had been meaning to try for weeks. Three very ripe bananas, which I had let go intentionally because ripe bananas make better bread, and the standard recipe from the Southern baking book. Butter, sugar, eggs, flour, baking soda, salt, vanilla, sour cream for moisture.

It came out perfectly on the first try. Domed and golden, slightly crispy on the edges, moist all the way through. I ate two slices warm with butter and called Gloria to report the success. She said of course it worked, you have been paying attention. She says this to me a lot. I think it is the truest thing she says about me.

The banana bread was proof of something, and I wanted to stay in that feeling a little longer. I had three more bananas on the counter going soft, and instead of making the same loaf again I found this sheet cake — the same ripe banana base I already trusted, but taken somewhere richer with chocolate chips and a cream cheese frosting that Gloria would absolutely approve of. It felt like a natural next step: same instincts, a little more reach.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 30 min | Total Time: 50 min | Servings: 16

Ingredients

For the cake:
3 very ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
For the cream cheese frosting:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2–3 tablespoons heavy cream or milk, as needed
Pinch of salt

Instructions

Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan with butter or nonstick spray and lightly dust with flour, tapping out any excess.
Mix dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugars. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter with the granulated sugar and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
Add eggs and vanilla. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and mix to combine.
Fold in banana and sour cream. Add the mashed bananas and sour cream to the butter mixture. Stir until just combined — the batter will look a little uneven and that’s fine.
Combine wet and dry. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir gently until just incorporated. Do not overmix. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 28–32 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. The edges will pull slightly from the pan. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before frosting.
Make the frosting. Beat the softened cream cheese and butter together until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. Beat on low until incorporated, then increase speed and beat until light. Add cream one tablespoon at a time to reach a spreadable consistency.
Frost and serve. Spread the cream cheese frosting evenly over the completely cooled cake. Cut into squares and serve at room temperature. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Nutrition (per serving)

Banana Chocolate Chip Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting — When the Bread Works, You Keep Going