Salted Caramel Brown-Butter Banana Cake (Printable)
Moist banana cake with nutty brown butter and a salted caramel drizzle, balanced sweet and salty.
# What You'll Need:
→ Brown Butter Banana Cake
01 - 1 cup unsalted butter
02 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
03 - 1 teaspoon baking soda
04 - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
05 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
06 - 1 cup granulated sugar
07 - 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
08 - 2 large eggs, room temperature
09 - 1 1/2 cups ripe mashed bananas (about 3 to 4 bananas)
10 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
11 - 1/2 cup sour cream
→ Salted Caramel Sauce
12 - 1 cup granulated sugar
13 - 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
14 - 1/2 cup heavy cream
15 - 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt
→ Caramel Frosting (optional)
16 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
17 - 2 cups powdered sugar
18 - 1/2 cup salted caramel sauce
19 - 2 to 3 tablespoons milk, as needed
# How-To Steps:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line a 9-inch round cake pan with parchment paper.
02 - Melt 1 cup unsalted butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until butter foams and brown flecks appear with a nutty aroma. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
03 - In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
04 - In a large bowl, combine the cooled brown butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in mashed bananas and vanilla extract.
05 - Fold dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Add sour cream and mix gently until just integrated.
06 - Pour batter into prepared pan. Smooth surface and bake for 40 to 45 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center emerges clean. Cool entirely on a wire rack.
07 - In a clean saucepan over medium heat, heat sugar, stirring constantly until melted and amber-colored. Carefully whisk in butter until fully melted. Gradually add heavy cream, whisking as mixture bubbles. Stir in flaky sea salt. Let sauce cool to room temperature.
08 - Beat softened butter until creamy. Gradually incorporate powdered sugar and 1/2 cup cooled caramel sauce. Add milk as needed for smooth, spreadable consistency.
09 - Once cake is completely cooled, cover with caramel frosting or drizzle generously with salted caramel sauce. Garnish with extra sea salt flakes if desired.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- Glazing the cake with warm salted caramel is the ultimate kitchen trick—it makes the crumb impossibly tender.
- Even skeptical dessert eaters turn into believers after one forkful, thanks to the play between salty and sweet.
02 -
- Once, distracted by a phone call, I burned the brown butter—the cake tasted bitter, so always keep your eyes on the pan.
- I discovered that letting the banana cake cool completely before adding caramel kept the sauce from running off.
03 -
- Let the caramel cool just enough that it&aposs thick but pourable for perfect drips down the sides of your cake.
- Browning the butter to the edge of golden without burning makes all the difference in flavor.