BANANA CAKE WITH BROWN BUTTER FROSTING
A moist, delicious banana cake made even more flavorful with a special buttercream frosting featuring browned butter
So, the last banana cake recipe attempt was okay, but wayyyy too dry. There is no excuse for a banana cake to be too dry, but somehow, it happened. Needless to say, I did not share that recipe.
I was still chomping at the bit to create a successful banana cake. One that was worth sharing.
This new banana cake recipe has four bananas in it; one extra from my previous failed recipe. So that alone will help with the moisture. Besides the extra banana, this recipe also includes butter and oil. Butter is more for the flavor and tenderness it contributes, and the oil is to lend more softness to the texture.
I knew this was going to be a moist banana cake full of banana flavor. What else could make it better? Ooh, I know… a vanilla buttercream frosting.
Oh, with browned butter!
The browned butter frosting perfectly accentuated the subtle sweetness of the banana flavor, providing a hint of butterscotch, without being overly sugary.
I believe I have my winning banana cake recipe, if I do say so myself!
Recipe:
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Ingredients Section:
BANANA CAKE
- 2 3/4 cups flour
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup oil
- 4 medium overripe bananas, mashed (about 1 3/4 cup)
- 1 cup sour milk
- Browned Butter Frosting
BROWN BUTTER FROSTING
- 1/4 cup browned butter (*see notes on how to brown butter)
- 1 TBS light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup cup butter, softened
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2-3 TBS milk or half & half
Directions:
BANANA CAKE
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
- Grease and flour a 13×9 nonstick pan.
- Whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream butter and both sugars
- Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition
- Beat in vanilla extract
- Add the oil and mashed banana, mixing until well-combined
- Stir dry ingredients into batter in thirds, alternating with sour milk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow to cool completely
- Frost with Brown Butter Frosting
BROWN BUTTER FROSTING
- Whisk the tablespoon of light brown sugar into the hot browned butter (see notes).
- Allow to cool at room temperature, but not solidify (about 30 minutes)
- Beat the 1/4 cup softened butter until light and creamy.
- Add browned butter and pinch of salt, beating until combined.
- Beat in vanilla extract
- Stir in powdered sugar until thoroughly combined
- Add milk a tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached
- Beat with mixer for 3-4 minutes, or until light and fluffy
- Frost the cooled banana cake
Notes about this recipe:
- To brown the butter: Cut up butter in cubes and place in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Over medium heat, continuously stir butter with rubber spatula. Once butter is melted, continue stirring, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan. After about 2-4 minutes, the butter will develop foam/bubbles and the browning process will begin. Continue to stir. When you start seeing an amber color and/or smell a nutty aroma, remove the pan from the heat and immediately transfer to a bowl, so it doesn’t continue to cook. Make sure to also collect any brown solid bits that may have formed. Use as indicated in the recipe.
- It’s okay if the browned butter is still a tiny bit warm when adding to the frosting recipe.
- I rely on whisking for a lot of my recipes, so make sure you’ve got a good, sturdy whisk on hand!
