Salted Caramel Brown Butter Banana (Printable View)
Moist banana cake with nutty brown butter and glossy salted caramel, finished with flaky sea salt.
# 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 light brown sugar, packed
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 small saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently. Continue cooking until butter foams and brown flecks appear and the butter takes on a nutty aroma. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
03 - In a medium bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until well combined.
04 - In a large bowl, mix cooled brown butter with 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 just until incorporated; avoid overmixing.
06 - Transfer batter to the prepared cake pan. Smooth the surface and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cake completely on a wire rack.
07 - Heat 1 cup granulated sugar in a dry saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until melted and amber-colored. Carefully whisk in cubed butter until melted, then gradually add heavy cream, allowing the mixture to bubble. Stir in flaky sea salt and cool to room temperature.
08 - In a mixing bowl, beat softened butter until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar and 1/2 cup cooled caramel sauce, mixing until smooth. Add milk as needed until a spreadable consistency is reached.
09 - Frost the cooled cake with caramel frosting or drizzle generously with salted caramel sauce. Sprinkle with additional sea salt flakes if desired before serving.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The magic of brown butter gives every bite extra depth, as if you spent hours in a patisserie kitchen.
- The salted caramel topping is a little secret trick that takes boring banana bread to show-stopping cake.
02 -
- If you overcook the caramel, even by a few seconds, it turns bitter—pull it at the first sign of deep amber.
- Beating the cake too much after adding dry ingredients leads to a sad, dense crumb—gentle folding is the hero move.
03 -
- Lightly toss banana slices in lemon juice if decorating, so they won’t brown by party time.
- A final pinch of flaky salt on top right before serving brings every flavor into focus.