Brown Butter Banana Cake (Printable)
Moist banana cake with nutty brown butter and tangy cream cheese frosting — a decadent crowd-pleasing dessert.
# What You Need:
→ Brown Butter Banana Cake
01 - 3/4 cup (170 g) unsalted butter
02 - 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
03 - 1 teaspoon baking soda
04 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
05 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
06 - 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
07 - 2 large eggs, room temperature
08 - 3 ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
09 - 1/2 cup (120 ml) sour cream
10 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
→ Thick Cream Cheese Frosting
11 - 8 oz (225 g) cream cheese, softened
12 - 1/4 cup (60 g) unsalted butter, softened
13 - 2 1/4 cups (280 g) powdered sugar, sifted
14 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
15 - Pinch of salt
# How To Make It:
01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9x9-inch cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
02 - Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently. Continue cooking until the butter foams, turns a deep golden brown, and releases a nutty aroma, about 5 to 7 minutes. Immediately transfer to a mixing bowl and let cool slightly.
03 - In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and salt until evenly distributed.
04 - In a large bowl, beat the cooled browned butter with the granulated sugar until creamy and thoroughly combined.
05 - Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition until fully incorporated.
06 - Fold in the mashed bananas, sour cream, and vanilla extract. Mix until the mixture is smooth and uniform.
07 - Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients, folding gently until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
08 - Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
09 - Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before frosting.
10 - Beat the softened cream cheese and butter together until smooth and fluffy. Gradually add the sifted powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt, beating until the frosting is thick and creamy.
11 - Spread the cream cheese frosting generously over the cooled cake. Slice into squares and serve.
# Expert Suggestions:
01 -
- Brown butter transforms ordinary banana cake into something that tastes like it took all day, even though it barely takes an hour.
- The frosting is thick enough to stand a spoon in, tangy enough to balance all that caramel depth, and honestly good enough to eat straight from the bowl.
02 -
- Brown butter continues cooking from residual heat after you take it off the stove, so pour it out of the pan the moment it looks done.
- The cake tastes even better on day two because the banana flavor deepens and the crumb settles into a denser, more fudgy texture.
03 -
- If your bananas are not quite ripe enough, roast them whole on a foil lined baking sheet at 150 degrees Celsius for about fifteen minutes until the skins blacken and the insides turn syrupy.
- Let the brown butter cool until it is warm rather than hot before adding the sugar, because too much heat will melt the sugar and change the texture of the crumb.