Salted Caramel Brown Butter Banana Cake (Printable)
Rich banana cake swirled with homemade salted caramel and nutty brown butter for an irresistible dessert experience.
# What You Need:
→ Cake Batter
01 - 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
02 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
03 - 1 teaspoon baking soda
04 - 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
05 - 1 cup granulated sugar
06 - 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
07 - 2 large eggs, room temperature
08 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
09 - 1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (about 2–3 bananas)
10 - 1/2 cup full-fat sour cream
→ Salted Caramel Sauce
11 - 1 cup granulated sugar
12 - 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
13 - 1/2 cup 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
# Directions:
01 - Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking, swirling occasionally, until the butter foams and golden-brown bits form at the bottom of the pan, about 5 to 7 minutes. Pour the browned butter into a bowl and let it cool for 10 minutes.
02 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan or a loaf pan and line it with parchment paper.
03 - In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the sugar over medium heat, stirring constantly until completely melted and deep amber in color. Carefully add the cubed butter — it will bubble vigorously — and whisk until melted. Slowly drizzle in the heavy cream while whisking continuously. Remove from heat and stir in the flaky sea salt. Let the caramel cool to room temperature.
04 - In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and sea salt. Set aside.
05 - In a large bowl, combine the cooled browned butter, granulated sugar, and packed light brown sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract, mashed bananas, and sour cream until the mixture is smooth and well blended.
06 - Add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients. Fold gently with a spatula just until combined — be careful not to overmix.
07 - Spread half of the batter into the prepared pan. Drizzle half of the cooled salted caramel sauce over the batter and swirl gently with a knife. Repeat with the remaining batter and caramel, creating a second layer with swirls.
08 - Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.
09 - Serve the cake warm or at room temperature. Drizzle with additional salted caramel sauce and garnish with sliced bananas or toasted chopped pecans if desired.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The brown butter adds a nutty depth that makes people close their eyes and ask what is in this cake every single time.
- That salted caramel swirl running through the center turns an already incredible banana cake into something genuinely unforgettable.
02 -
- The caramel must cool to room temperature before you swirl it into the batter because hot caramel will melt the batter and create a gummy pocket instead of a beautiful ribbon.
- Watch the brown butter like a hawk because the window between perfectly nutty and acrid is roughly fifteen seconds of inattention.
03 -
- Mash the bananas with a fork in a separate bowl and let them sit for five minutes before adding them because releasing their natural juices makes the cake moister.
- The cake tastes even better on day two when the banana and caramel flavors have had time to mingle and deepen overnight.