Banana Caramel Cake w/Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
This banana caramel cake is a layered banana cake. It is full a delicious banana flavor, smooth caramel filling and finished with brown butter cream cheese frosting.
Ingredients
Banana Cake
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 ¼ cups all purpose flour, spoon and leveled
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 ⅓ cups buttermilk, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups mashed bananas, about 3-4 ripe bananas
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
Homemade Caramel
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ⅔ cup heaving whipping cream, warm
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon fine or flaky sea salt
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 ½ cups butter, room temperature
- 8 ounces full fat cream cheese, room temperature
- 6 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- ⅓ cup heavy whipping cream, cold
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
Brown Butter
- I recommend making the brown butter ahead of time to allow for ample time to return to solidified state in the refrigerator prior to making the frosting.
- To make brown butter, place room temperature butter in a large fry pan on medium heat, giving it a few stirs or swirls of the pan until fully melted. Once the butter has melted, it will begin to foam and sizzle around the edges.
- In about 5 minutes, the butter will begin to turn golden brown and milk solids will begin to form at the bottom of the pan. Cook until most of the foam has dissepated and the butter and milk solids have turned a dark amber color. You should smell a very inteste buttery and nutty aroma.
- Immediately remove from the pan and pour into a heat-safe bowl to let cool. About 20 minutes.
- Transfer to the refrigerator to set up before making the frosting. Approx. 1 hour.
Banana Caramel Cake
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Pull out all wet ingredients at least 30 minutes-1 hour prior to baking.
- Spray three 8-inch cake pans with baking spray. Line the bottoms with parchment paper and then spray the pans again with baking spray. You can use regular canola oil spray or baker's spray that has flour in the can.
- In a small bowl, mash the bananas and mix lemon juice until just incorporated. Set aside.
- In a large bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract.
- Add the large eggs, one at a time, beating on medium speed well after each addition.
- On low speed, add the dry flour ingredients to the cake mixture in three parts, starting with the flour and alternating with the buttermilk. ie: Flour mixture, buttermilk, flour mixture, buttermilk, flour mixture.
- Fold the mashed bananas into the cake batter. Hand mix with a spatula until just combined.
- Divide the batter evenly between the three prepared 8” pans. If using a digital scale, for even cake layers add 18-20 oz of batter into each pan.
- Bake cake layers for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Let the cakes cool completely in the pans on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes.
Homemade Caramel
- Try to make this ahead of time so it is able to cool prior to use. This can be made a few days in advance too!
- TIP: Have all ingredients measured and ready to go. This caramel cooks quickly and it helps to have everything set.
- Heat the sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. DO NOT STIR. Let the sugar begin to melt and liquefy on the edges, about 4 minutes. Watch carefully. Once the caramel is melting and turning a light amber color, give it a stir with a whisk or wooden spoon until all of the sugar crystals melt.
- Once it begins to turn a deeper amber color, reduce heat to low and add cubed butter. Be careful as it will bubble here. Keep stirring till incorporated.
- Microwave heavy cream until warm, about 30 seconds. Pour into caramel mixture, stirring until combined. Let the caramel bubble for 1 minute then remove from heat.
- Stir in vanilla and salt.
- Immediately pour into glass jar or storage container. Let cool.
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the slighty cold cream cheese and cooled browned butter together for 2 minutes until light and fluffy. If the brown butter is not back to a solid state, the buttercream will melt.
- Gradually add the sifted powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing on low.
- Once combined, add the cold heavy cream, vanilla extract, salt and beat on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes until smooth. Scraping the bowl at least one time throughout. The frosting should be light and fluffy.
- If the frosting is too loose or melting, stick the whole bowl into the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes, then rewhip for 2 minutes.
Cake Assembly
- These cake layers should bake up nice and flat but in the event they bake with a dome shape top, you will want to use a serrated knife or cake leveler to cut the top of the cake off so each layer is level.
- Using a cake board or round platter, place the first cake layer down with top side up and spread a thin layer of frosting on top, approx. ¼-1/2 cup. Next pipe a ring of frosting around the edge of the cake creating a border around the layer. This will help hold the caramel from oozing out the side of the cake.
- Next spread ½ cup caramel in the middle of the cake.
- Repeat for the next layer.
- Place the last cake layer upside down so the bottom of the cake is upwards.
- Frost the outside of the cake with a light crumb coat of frosting, making sure to fill in the holes between the layers on the side of the cake as you go. The crumb coat layer helps hold the caramel filling in and prevent crumbs from lifting off the cake.
- Place the cake in the freezer for 15 minutes.
- Frost the rest of your moist banana caramel cake. For clean sides, use a cake scraper, going around the cake a few times to get smooth. Pour the remaining caramel sauce on top of cake. Place in freezer for 30 minutes to allow the buttercream to set and then transfer to the refrigerator until ready to serve. Bring out 2 hours prior to serving.
- Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
Calories: 505kcalCarbohydrates: 70gProtein: 4gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 15gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 63mgSodium: 285mgPotassium: 65mgFiber: 1gSugar: 51gVitamin A: 743IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 49mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!