Brown Butter Banana Cake (Printable)
Moist banana cake with nutty brown butter and thick cream cheese frosting for celebrations.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Brown Butter Banana Cake
01 - ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter
02 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
03 - 1½ teaspoons baking powder
04 - 1 teaspoon baking soda
05 - ½ teaspoon salt
06 - 1 cup granulated sugar
07 - ½ cup packed light brown sugar
08 - 2 large eggs, room temperature
09 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
10 - 3 ripe bananas, mashed (about 1¼ cups)
11 - ½ cup sour cream
12 - ¼ cup whole milk
→ Thick Cream Cheese Frosting
13 - 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
14 - ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
15 - 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
16 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
17 - Pinch of salt
# Directions:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan and line with parchment paper, leaving overhang on the long sides for easy removal.
02 - Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir continuously as it foams, watching carefully, until it turns a golden amber color and releases a nutty, toasted aroma, about 5–7 minutes. Remove from heat immediately and let cool for 10 minutes.
03 - In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly distributed.
04 - In a large mixing bowl, combine the browned butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Beat on medium speed until well incorporated, about 2 minutes.
05 - Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition until fully incorporated. Mix in vanilla extract, mashed bananas, sour cream, and whole milk until smooth and combined.
06 - Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients, folding gently with a spatula or mixing on low speed until just combined. Stop mixing as soon as no dry flour streaks remain to keep the cake tender.
07 - Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 35–40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the top springs back lightly when touched.
08 - Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack. Do not begin frosting until the cake is fully cooled to room temperature.
09 - Beat the softened cream cheese and butter together in a bowl on medium-high speed until creamy and free of lumps. Gradually add sifted powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. Continue beating on high speed for 2–3 minutes until thick, fluffy, and spreadable.
10 - Spread the frosting generously and evenly over the cooled cake using an offset spatula. For cleaner slices, refrigerate for 20 minutes before cutting into squares.
# Expert Suggestions:
01 -
- Brown butter transforms a familiar banana cake into something that tastes like it took far more effort than it actually does.
- The cream cheese frosting is thick enough to stand a spoon in, which is exactly how it should be.
02 -
- Watch the butter like a hawk when browning it, because it goes from perfectly nutty to burnt in about thirty seconds and there is no coming back from that.
- Do not frost the cake while it is even slightly warm, because I did that once and watched my beautiful frosting slide right off in a sad, creamy avalanche.
03 -
- If your frosting seems too soft to spread neatly, pop the bowl in the fridge for ten minutes and it will firm up to the perfect working consistency.
- Use the parchment overhang to lift the whole cake out of the pan before slicing so you can get clean, even squares without scratching your pan.