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.
- 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.
- Add sugar: Once the browned butter has cooled a bit, you will mix in the sugars and the vanilla.
- Wet ingredients: The sugar mixture gets added to the bowl of a stand mixer and the wet ingredients are mixed in.
- 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.
- Spread: Add batter to a greased baking dish. If using a 9x13" like I did, the batter will be rather full. You can also bake the banana cake in the next size up.
- Bake: The banana cake needs to bake until it is golden brown on top and fully set.
brown butter with walnuts add sugar and vanilla mix in wet ingredients mix in dry ingredients spread batter into greased dish bake until golden brown and set
How to make the frosting:
While the cake is baking, you can make the brown butter cream cheese frosting.
- 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.
- 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.
- Add sugar: All of the powered sugar is added, slowly mixed in to incorporate, and then whipped until light and fluffy.
browned butter with vanilla bean cream cheese and browned butter frosting after sugar added
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.
add frosting when cake is slightly warm spread evenly and top with chopped walnuts
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
If you’ve made this or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out. I love hearing from my readers!
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Banana Cake
This scratch made frosted walnut Banana Cake is different from all the other recipes. Brown butter and just the right amount of sweetness!
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Hover to scale: 16 servings
Ingredients
Banana Cake:
- ¾ cup unsalted butter
- ¾ cup walnuts (chopped, raw)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar (packed)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups sour cream
- 3 large eggs (slightly beaten)
- 2 cups bananas (ripe, mashed , about 3 large or 4 small)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting:
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 whole vanilla bean (split lengthwise (see notes for substitutions))
- 8 ounces cream cheese (full fat, room temperature)
- 3 cups confectioners' sugar
- walnuts (optional - add crushed walnuts to the top of the frosted cake)
Instructions
To make the Banana Cake:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 (what I used) or a 10x15 inch pan (I use a glass dish).
- In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add walnuts. Whisk frequently, scraping the bottom. As the butter foams, continue whisking and scraping to release any brown bits that may stick to the bottom. As the butter foams, you can slowly reduce the heat to avoid burning. Once the butter has sufficiently browned (not burned) and smells heavenly, remove from heat and allow to cool to the touch. ***Note: Browned butter can go from perfect to burnt quickly so be sure to keep your eye on it.
- Add granulated and brown sugars as well as the vanilla to the warm browned butter. Stir to combine.
- Add sugar mixture along with sour cream, eggs, and mashed banana to the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, mix on low speed for about a minute. Scrape sides and continue to mix on low for another 30 seconds.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Add dry ingredients to the wet. Start mixing on low speed just to combine and then flash on high speed for about 10 seconds to fully mix. Scrape sides and briefly mix again to combine.
- Spread batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven until light brown on top and fully cooked thru when using a cake tester to determine if the batter is still wet. If using a 9x13 pan, batter will be quite full. Bake for about 35 minutes at which time the top should be browned. If, at that point, the cake jiggles when you move the pan or a cake tester comes out wet, loosely set a piece of foil on top to prevent browning and reduce oven temperature to 325°F and continue cooking until set, an additional 5-15 minutes. If you are using a 10x15 inch pan, the cake will be much thinner and will cook much faster, so remove from oven when browned and fully set. While cake is baking, prepare frosting.
How to make Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Brown butter with split vanilla bean using the same method as above. Press down on vanilla bean with flat bottomed wooden spoon to get all the seeds to come out while it cooks. Remember to turn the heat down when the butter foams and keep it moving to prevent burning. When done, remove from heat and discard remaining pod. Cool until it is just warm to the touch.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat softened cream cheese until soft and fluffy. Add cooled vanilla brown butter and beat until light and fluffy, scraping the sides as needed.
- Add confectioner's sugar by the spoonful, fully mixing. Once all the sugar is added, frosting should be light and fluffy.
- Allow cake to cool until it is just warm to the touch before you frost and cut into individual servings.
Notes
- 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.
NUTRITION INFORMATION
Calories: 533kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 100mg | Sodium: 259mg | Potassium: 220mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 45g | Vitamin A: 832IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 74mg | Iron: 2mg
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Pam Brand
Well, I love bananas and I love cake, but where you really got me is with brown butter!
Claudia Lamascolo
I love banana in cakes they are so moist and this looks fantastic!
Angela
A wonderfully moist and flavorful cake. Your step by step pictures are great.
Maria
This banana cake looks dense and moist and oh so yummy! Will give this recipe a try ASAP!
Toni
This is really good!! Such a perfect banana cake recipe! Thanks for sharing! I loved it!
Emily
Just made this cake and it’s to die for! I learned a new skill, how to brown butter. What a difference it makes in the flavor of the cake and frosting! So delicious! I have a new go to banana recipe now!!