Salted Caramel Brown Butter Banana (Printable)
Indulgent moist banana cake with brown butter and luscious salted caramel topping.
# What You'll Need:
→ For the Cake
01 - ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
02 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
03 - 1 teaspoon baking powder
04 - ½ teaspoon baking soda
05 - ½ teaspoon salt
06 - ½ cup granulated sugar
07 - ½ cup packed light brown sugar
08 - 2 large eggs, at room temperature
09 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
10 - 3 large very ripe bananas, mashed (about 1¼ cups)
11 - ½ cup full-fat sour cream or Greek yogurt
→ For the Salted Caramel Sauce
12 - 1 cup granulated sugar
13 - ¼ cup water
14 - 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
15 - ½ cup heavy cream, at room temperature
16 - 1 to 1½ teaspoons flaky sea salt, to taste
→ For Decoration (Optional)
17 - Banana slices
18 - Additional caramel sauce
19 - Chopped toasted nuts
# How-To Steps:
01 - In a light-colored saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Continue cooking, swirling the pan occasionally, until the butter foams and golden-brown specks form on the bottom, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat immediately and transfer to a bowl to cool for 10 minutes.
02 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch round or square cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
03 - In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly distributed.
04 - In a large bowl, whisk the cooled brown butter with the granulated sugar and light brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract, mashed bananas, and sour cream until fully incorporated.
05 - Add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients and gently fold together using a spatula until just combined. Avoid overmixing to keep the cake tender.
06 - Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
07 - In a clean saucepan, combine the granulated sugar and water. Stir over medium heat just until the sugar dissolves, then stop stirring. Allow the mixture to cook undisturbed until it turns a deep amber color, approximately 6 to 8 minutes. Immediately remove from heat and add the cubed butter — the mixture will bubble vigorously. Whisk until the butter is fully melted, then slowly pour in the heavy cream while whisking continuously. Return to low heat and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the flaky sea salt. Let the sauce cool slightly before using.
08 - Once the cake has cooled completely, pour the warm salted caramel sauce evenly over the top. Garnish with banana slices, chopped toasted nuts, or an extra drizzle of caramel as desired. Slice and serve.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- Brown butter transforms ordinary banana cake into something deeply nutty and complex with almost no extra effort.
- The salted caramel sauce comes together in one pan while the cake bakes, so everything finishes at roughly the same time.
- It stays incredibly moist for days thanks to sour cream and ripe bananas working together.
02 -
- Never walk away from caramelizing sugar, because it goes from perfect amber to burnt charcoal in seconds.
- The cake must be completely cool before the caramel goes on or it will melt right off the sides and pool at the bottom.
- Using a light-colored pan for browning butter matters because dark pans make it nearly impossible to see the color of the milk solids.
03 -
- Freeze overripe bananas in their skins and thaw them overnight in a bowl, because the liquid they release makes the cake even more moist than fresh bananas would.
- If your caramel seizes or gets grainy when you add the cream, return it to low heat and whisk stubbornly for a minute until it smooths out.