Salted Caramel Brown Butter Banana (Printable)
Moist banana cake with brown butter and salted caramel topping
# What You'll Need:
→ Cake Batter
01 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter
02 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
03 - 1 teaspoon baking powder
04 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
05 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
06 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
07 - 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
08 - 2 large eggs, at room temperature
09 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
10 - 3 very ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/4 cups)
11 - 1/2 cup full-fat sour cream or Greek yogurt
→ Salted Caramel Sauce
12 - 1 cup granulated sugar
13 - 1/4 cup water
14 - 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
15 - 1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
16 - 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons flaky sea salt, to taste
→ Decoration (Optional)
17 - Banana slices
18 - Extra caramel sauce
19 - Chopped toasted nuts
# How To Make:
01 - In a light-colored saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Continue cooking, swirling occasionally, until the butter foams and golden-brown specks form on the bottom of the pan, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl to cool for 10 minutes.
02 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line a 9-inch round or square cake pan with parchment paper.
03 - In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly distributed.
04 - In a large bowl, whisk the cooled brown butter with both granulated and brown sugars 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. Do not overmix.
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 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, approximately 6 to 8 minutes. Immediately add the cubed butter, which will bubble vigorously. Whisk until the butter melts, then slowly pour in the cream while whisking continuously. Simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, remove from heat, and stir in the sea salt. Let 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, toasted nuts, or an additional drizzle of caramel as desired.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The brown butter adds a deep, toasty richness that regular butter simply cannot match, and once you try it you will be hooked.
- Salted caramel poured over a still slightly warm cake is the kind of drama your kitchen deserves on a lazy weekend.
02 -
- Watch the caramel like a hawk because it goes from perfect amber to burnt in what feels like two seconds, and you cannot undo that.
- Adding cream to the hot caramel will bubble up aggressively so pour slowly and keep your face back from the pan.
03 -
- Use a light-colored saucepan for browning butter so you can actually see the color change and catch it before it burns.
- Let the cake sit overnight wrapped tightly at room temperature because the flavors deepen and the texture becomes even more tender by the next day.