Banana Cake

This scratch made frosted Banana Cake with walnuts is different from other recipes. The single layer cake portion is moist, fluffy, and has just the right amount of sweetness. The brown butter vanilla bean cream cheese frosting takes it over the top! You’re going to love this homemade dessert recipe.

Why this recipe works:

• Best tasting: You’ll find plenty of recipes out there for banana cake, but this recipe is different, dare I say much better, than all the rest. This recipe uses brown butter in both the cake and the frosting. Not only does that create soft and fluffy results, but the taste and flavor will knock your socks off.
• Perfect cake to frosting ratio: The cake is thick and fluffy and there’s just the right amount of frosting to add the added sweetness that the not-super-sweet cake needs.
• Easy to make: Browning the butter is an extra step you might not be used to taking, but otherwise this is an easy to follow recipe that anyone can make.
• Great use of ripe bananas: Not sure about you, but I love to look for different recipes other than banana bread to use up those ripe bananas!

Ingredients needed to make this recipe:

One of the reasons I love this recipe is I almost always have all of the ingredients on hand.

Banana Cake ingredients:

• Butter: I use unsalted but if you use salted butter you may want to reduce the salt in the recipe.
• Walnuts: Raw organic walnuts give the best flavor and I chop them by hand if sold as walnut halves. These get toasted in the brown butter.
• Sugar: This recipe uses both granulated and golden brown sugar.
• Vanilla: I make my own homemade vanilla extract.
• Sour cream: This makes the cake extra light and fluffy.
• Eggs: Large and fresh is always best.
• Bananas: Level of ripeness is up to availability. Mine were a bit more ripe than I usually bake with.
• Flour: Just regular all-purpose flour.
• Baking soda, baking powder, salt

Frosting ingredients:

• Butter: I use unsalted but you can use salted.
• Cream cheese: Make sure it has softened to room temperature.
• Vanilla bean: Split lengthwise. If you don’t have one, you can add vanilla extract to the frosting when the sugar gets mixed in.
• Confectioners sugar: No need to sift.

How to make the banana cake:

Full ingredient list and detailed step by step instructions are listed in the recipe card below, but here is a summary.

1. Brown butter: First step is to brown the butter on the stove with the walnuts. Your house will smell like heaven. Take care not to let it burn.
2. Add sugar: Once the browned butter has cooled a bit, you will mix in the sugars and the vanilla.
3. Wet ingredients: The sugar mixture gets added to the bowl of a stand mixer and the wet ingredients are mixed in.
4. Dry ingredients: Add the remaining dry ingredients. Mix slow at first to combine and then whip using the paddle attachment to make it light and fluffy.
5. Spread: Add batter to a greased baking dish.
6. Bake: The banana cake needs to bake until it is golden brown on top and fully set.

How to make the frosting:

While the cake is baking, you can make the brown butter cream cheese frosting.

1. Brown butter: You will brown the butter just as you did with the banana cake recipe, however this time you will add a split vanilla bean.
2. Beat: Once the butter has cooled to the touch, you will beat it until it is light and fluffy with the softened cream cheese. If you look closely, you can see the bits of golden brown butter along with the dark vanilla bean seeds.
3. Add sugar: All of the powered sugar is added, slowly mixed in to incorporate, and then whipped until light and fluffy.

When to frost the cake:

The frosting will be thick but spreadable. My preference is to wait until the cake has cooled to the touch but is still warm. The frosting will spread nicely at this point.

Cooking tips for best results:

• Baking times vary: Depending on your oven and the size baking dish you use, the baking time for the cake can vary drastically. If the banana cake is browned on top but not done in the middle, simply reduce the oven temperature, loosely tent with foil to prevent further browning, and continue cooking until done.
• Brown butter: This is the key ingredient that really sets this recipe apart from all the other banana cakes. Brown butter is easy to make but you just need to watch it constantly, continuously stir it, and remove it from heat as soon as it’s done.
• Storage: Unless you’re feeding a crowd, you’re going to have leftovers. Just be sure to tightly wrap the cake to prevent it from drying out. It can stay out at room temperature for short periods of time. Longer storage should be refrigerated.

Other recipes for ripe bananas:

Have some bananas sitting on the counter that are past the point of peeling and eating? Here are some other great recipe recommendations.

• Sour Cream Banana Nut Bread
• Banana Upside Down Cake
• Banana Pancakes
• Banana Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce
• Brown Butter Banana Bars
• Strawberry Banana Smoothie
• Banana Cream Pie
• Classic Banana Pudding
• Air Fryer Banana Bread