I turned my brown bananas into a fluffy cake
If you have overripe bananas going to waste, skip the banana bread and try this easy brown butter banana cake instead.
“It's super soft, very moist and full of delicious brown butter flavour.”
As the temperature drops, thoughts naturally turn to baking. I wouldn't consider myself an accomplished baker, but there's one recipe so straightforward that it would take considerable effort to get it wrong: banana bread.
In my opinion, however, banana bread is rather uninspiring and unremarkable, so I tend to put my overripe bananas to better use.
It proved to be every bit as uncomplicated as banana bread — but considerably more impressive. Discussing their recipe, baker Ginny Dyer said: "It's super soft, very moist and full of delicious brown butter flavour.
"The overripe bananas ensure the most banana flavour, while also giving the cake the most tender and moist texture."
What's the difference between banana bread and cake?
Banana bread is typically denser and less sweet than banana cake, with a firmer crumb. Banana cake, by contrast, tends to be lighter, softer and sweeter, frequently boasting a fluffy crumb and a layer of icing.
The ingredients are often comparable, though banana bread generally requires a simpler batter, typically comprising flour, bananas, eggs, butter or oil, sugar and a raising agent.
Banana cake tends to incorporate more sugar and may call for additional ingredients such as buttermilk or soured cream to achieve a softer, lighter crumb. Banana bread is ordinarily baked in a loaf tin, whereas banana cake is more commonly baked in a round or square cake tin.
What you'll need to make brown butter banana cake
- 140g of brown butter (melted unsalted butter)
- 282g of plain flour
- 300g of granulated sugar
- Three large eggs
- One and a half teaspoons of vanilla extract.
- Four medium-ripe bananas
- 240ml of buttermilk
For the brown butter cream cheese frosting.
- 308g of brown butter
- 226g of cream cheese
- 260g of icing sugar
- 80ml of caramel sauce
Method
Begin by melting 448g of unsalted butter in a saucepan over a medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes. The butter should turn foamy and golden brown once ready.
Set aside 140g for the cake and the remainder for the frosting, chilling both portions until softened. Preheat your oven to 175°C. Grease and line a 23cm x 23cm baking tin before starting your mixture.
For the batter, whisk together the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt. In a separate bowl, beat 140g of brown butter until pale and fluffy, then add the sugar and beat for a further two minutes.
Incorporate the eggs and vanilla, mixing until smooth. Fold in the mashed bananas and buttermilk before stirring in the dry ingredients until just combined.
Transfer the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Allow the cake to cool in the tin briefly, then move to a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
To prepare the frosting, beat the remaining brown butter for five to 10 minutes until pale and fluffy. Gently fold in the cream cheese and icing sugar until the mixture is smooth and light.
Spread the frosting generously over the cooled cake and drizzle with caramel sauce. Swirl the caramel through the frosting, then slice into squares and serve.
To cut down on both time and expense, purchasing a ready-made buttercream is an option, as it was the trickiest part of the recipe. That said, making it from scratch ensures the cake has just the right level of sweetness.
This cake is wonderfully fluffy, soft and utterly moreish. It's near impossible to resist going back for a larger slice, and it proved a real hit with the family. The combination of fresh banana flavour with rich, sweet caramel is simply divine.
