Salted Caramel Brown Butter Banana Cake (Printable)
Rich banana cake with brown butter and salted caramel swirls for an indulgent dessert experience.
# What You'll Need:
→ Cake Batter
01 - 1/2 cup (115 g) unsalted butter
02 - 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
03 - 1 teaspoon baking soda
04 - 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
05 - 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
06 - 1/2 cup (100 g) light brown sugar, packed
07 - 2 large eggs, room temperature
08 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
09 - 1 cup (240 g) mashed ripe bananas (about 2-3 bananas)
10 - 1/2 cup (120 ml) full-fat sour cream
→ Salted Caramel Sauce
11 - 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
12 - 6 tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter, cubed
13 - 1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream, room temperature
14 - 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt
→ Optional Topping
15 - Extra salted caramel for drizzling
16 - Sliced banana or toasted chopped pecans
# Steps:
01 - In a saucepan, melt 1/2 cup unsalted butter over medium heat. Continue cooking, swirling occasionally, until it foams and golden-brown bits form at the bottom of the pan, about 5-7 minutes. Pour the browned butter into a heatproof bowl and let cool for 10 minutes.
02 - Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9-inch round cake pan or loaf pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
03 - In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat 1 cup granulated sugar over medium heat, stirring constantly until fully melted and deep amber in color. Carefully add 6 tablespoons cubed butter — it will bubble vigorously. Whisk until the butter melts completely. Slowly drizzle in 1/2 cup heavy cream while whisking continuously. Remove from heat and stir in 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt. Let the caramel cool to room temperature.
04 - In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt. Set aside.
05 - In a large bowl, combine the cooled browned butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, and 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar. Add 2 eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 cup mashed ripe bananas, and 1/2 cup sour cream until the mixture is smooth and well blended.
06 - Add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients, folding gently with a spatula just until combined. Do not overmix — some small lumps are fine.
07 - Spread half of the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Drizzle with half of the cooled salted caramel sauce and swirl gently with a knife. Repeat with the remaining batter and caramel, creating a second layer with swirls.
08 - Bake at 350°F for 45-55 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.
09 - Serve warm or at room temperature. Drizzle with additional salted caramel and garnish with sliced banana or toasted chopped pecans as desired.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The brown butter adds a toasted, nutty depth that regular butter simply cannot touch, and once you try it you will be ruined for anything else.
- That salted caramel ribbon running through the center creates these incredible pockets of sweet and salty in every single bite.
02 -
- Watch the caramel like a hawk because it goes from perfect amber to burnt in seconds, and there is no rescuing it once that happens.
- The brown butter must cool before you mix it with the eggs or you will end up with scrambled fragments in your batter that no amount of stirring can fix.
03 -
- Use a light colored saucepan for browning butter so you can actually see the color change instead of guessing and ending up with burnt butter.
- Resist the urge to overmix once the flour goes in because a tender crumb depends on a gentle hand and a confident stop.