Salted Caramel Brown Butter Banana Cake (Printable Version)
Decadent banana cake with brown butter and salted caramel swirl
# 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 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
# How to Make It:
01 - Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking, swirling the pan occasionally, until the butter foams and golden brown bits form at the bottom, about 5–7 minutes. Pour into a bowl and let cool for 10 minutes.
02 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan or loaf pan and line with parchment paper.
03 - In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the sugar over medium heat, stirring constantly until fully 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 cool to room temperature.
04 - In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
05 - In a large bowl, combine the cooled browned butter, granulated sugar, and 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 smooth and well blended.
06 - Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, folding gently with a spatula just until combined. Be careful not to overmix.
07 - Spread half of the batter 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 for 45–55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let 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 bananas or toasted chopped pecans as desired.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The brown butter adds a nutty depth that makes people close their eyes and guess what the secret ingredient is every single time.
- That salted caramel ribbon running through the center creates a gooey, bakery level moment with surprisingly little fuss.
02 -
- When making the caramel, never walk away from the pan because sugar goes from perfectly amber to burnt and bitter in seconds, and I have ruined more batches than I care to admit.
- Your bananas need to be truly overripe, not just slightly soft, because the difference in sweetness and moisture between a yellow banana and a heavily speckled one is dramatic.
03 -
- Make the salted caramel a day ahead and let it come to room temperature naturally, because cold caramel will seize and leave hard patches in your beautiful swirls.
- If your caramel clumps or seizes when you add the cream, put the pan back on low heat and stir patiently until it smooths out, because almost every broken caramel can be rescued with gentle heat and persistence.