The Best Sour Cream Banana Bread

October 16, 2014 by Courtney 32 Comments
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This Sour Cream Banana Bread beat out the competitors and won the hearts of a room full of women. It really is the best!

I’m not sure why exactly I agreed to do another wedding cake. I got swept up in the moment, I suppose. My mind started buzzing as soon as I heard the words, “banana bread cake.” What a stupendous choice for a wedding cake. I didn’t think about logistics at that point. I didn’t consider the stacking or torting or the sheer quantity of banana bread such a task would require. I just said yes.

It wasn’t until I was on batch 10 of 14 that the full realization of what I had committed to finally hit me. This was an undertaking. But unlike my last wedding cake, I somehow didn’t find myself feeling stressed at this point. Instead, I was almost…enjoying myself.

By that point in the game I had gotten into a rhythm of sorts. The ingredients were committed to memory. I knew exactly which bowls I would use and the precise order of every step. I could whip out four batches of banana bread in under an hour, and it felt oddly exhilarating.

I used to think I would get bored in a bakery, forced to make the same thing over and over. After all, I am a food blogger. Creating new recipes is kind of my thing. But after this experience, I have a new appreciation for repetitive baking. There’s something incredibly satisfying about making the same recipe so often it becomes ingrained in your person. At some point in the process, concentration becomes unnecessary as muscle memory kicks in. Your hands move without your bidding, cracking eggs, scooping and leveling flour, sprinkling cinnamon. There’s space to breathe in those moments, a time to think without searching the scribbled recipe card for the next step. It’s actually…relaxing. And I kind of love it.

But you didn’t come here to listen to me wax poetic about the joys of making banana bread. You came here for the winning recipe–the one that won the hearts of a room full of women, including the most important one–the bride-to-be.

There are a few reasons why this recipe became my new go-t0, and why I think it won the most votes out of three other recipes. First, it tastes amazing. It’s sweet, rich, and buttery, but it still tastes like bread, not cake. And don’t even get me started on how it tastes after a few seconds in the microwave. Perfection. It’s got a good banana flavor without being overwhelming, so even those who are iffy about bananas will likely enjoy this.

Second, it’s easy to make. You don’t even need to pull out your mixer for this guy. A whisk and two bowls will serve you just fine.

Finally, it’s a blank slate for all the customization your imagination can dream up. Add chocolate chips or nuts, swirl in a bit of Nutella, or drizzle it with cream cheese frosting. This bread is ready for all you can think to throw at it. But of course, it tastes darn delicious without any accessories at all.

This is the kind of recipe I know I’ll return to over and over again throughout the years. Perhaps I’ll make it as a surprise after-school snack for my future kiddos. Or maybe it’ll grace the breakfast table on Thanksgiving morning. It may even find its way into a care package for a new mom.

I’ve made this bread so many times now, it’s a part of me. And I hope it’ll become a part of our family throughout the years, bringing comfort, delight, and the satisfaction of a warm, buttery slice of bread for generations to come.

P.S. If you want to frost this like the wedding cake, I use this cream cheese frosting recipe. It is DIVINE!