Salted Caramel Brown Butter Banana Cake (Printable)
Moist banana cake with brown butter and homemade salted caramel topping.
# What You'll Need:
→ Cake Batter
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
→ 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
→ Decoration (Optional)
17 - Banana slices
18 - Extra caramel sauce
19 - Chopped toasted nuts
# Directions:
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, about 5 to 7 minutes. Immediately remove from heat and transfer to a heatproof bowl. Allow 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 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 with a spatula until just combined. Do not overmix.
06 - Pour the batter into the prepared cake 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.
07 - Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
08 - In a clean, dry saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Stir over medium heat just until the sugar dissolves, then stop stirring. Allow the syrup to cook undisturbed until it turns a deep amber color, about 6 to 8 minutes. Immediately add the cubed butter — it will bubble vigorously. Whisk until the butter is fully melted, then slowly pour in the heavy cream while whisking continuously. Simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, then remove from heat and stir in the flaky sea salt. Let the sauce cool slightly before using.
09 - 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.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- Brown butter transforms ordinary banana cake into something deeply nutty and complex with almost no extra effort.
- The salted caramel sauce drips down the sides and pools at the bottom of every slice, making each bite a little different.
02 -
- Brown butter can go from perfectly nutty to burnt in seconds, so never walk away from the pan while it is cooking.
- Caramel reacts violently to cold ingredients, so make sure your cream and butter are truly at room temperature before adding them.
03 -
- Use a light-colored saucepan for browning butter so you can actually see the color change instead of guessing.
- Tap the cake pan gently on the counter before baking to release any large air pockets that could cause uneven rising.