Brown Butter Banana Cake (Printable View)
Moist banana cake with nutty brown butter and thick cream cheese frosting for any celebration.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Brown Butter Banana Cake
01 - 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
02 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
03 - 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
04 - 1 teaspoon baking soda
05 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
06 - 1 cup granulated sugar
07 - 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
08 - 2 large eggs, room temperature
09 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
10 - 3 ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/4 cups)
11 - 1/2 cup sour cream
12 - 1/4 cup whole milk
→ Thick Cream Cheese Frosting
13 - 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
14 - 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
15 - 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
16 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
17 - Pinch of salt
# Cooking Steps:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan and line with parchment paper, leaving overhang on the sides for easy removal.
02 - Melt unsalted 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 aroma, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat immediately and let cool slightly.
03 - In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly distributed. Set aside.
04 - In a large mixing bowl, combine the browned butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar. Beat until smooth and well incorporated.
05 - Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition until fully incorporated. Stir in the vanilla extract, mashed bananas, sour cream, and whole milk. Mix until smooth.
06 - Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients, folding gently with a spatula. Mix until just combined and no dry streaks remain. Do not overmix.
07 - Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the top is golden.
08 - Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack. Do not frost while warm.
09 - Beat the softened cream cheese and softened butter together in a bowl until creamy and lump-free. Gradually add the sifted powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. Continue beating until the frosting is thick, fluffy, and spreadable.
10 - Spread the cream cheese frosting generously and evenly over the completely cooled cake. Chill briefly in the refrigerator for cleaner slicing if desired.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The brown butter adds a deep, caramel like richness that regular butter simply cannot touch, and your whole kitchen will smell like a bakery in the best way.
- That cream cheese frosting is thick enough to stand a spoon in, and it pairs beautifully with the tender, moist crumb of the banana cake underneath.
- It looks impressive enough for a birthday but comes together with everyday ingredients you probably already have.
02 -
- Brown butter can go from golden perfection to acrid and burnt in under thirty seconds, so never walk away from the pan while it is cooking and pull it off the heat the instant those brown flecks appear.
- Cooling the cake completely before frosting is non negotiable, because I once rushed it and watched my frosting slide right off the warm cake like a slow motion kitchen disaster.
03 -
- Use a light colored saucepan for browning butter so you can actually see the color change, because dark pans hide the visual cues you desperately need.
- Let your cream cheese and butter for the frosting sit out for at least an hour before mixing, because cold ingredients will never whip into the smooth, luscious texture this frosting deserves.