Banana Caramel Cake
Banana Caramel Cake is a moist, flavorful dessert that perfectly combines ripe bananas with rich, salted caramel for a harmonious balance of sweet and savory. Its tender layers and luscious frosting make it an irresistible treat for any occasion.
Ingredients
Banana Cake
- 2¼ cups 280 g all-purpose flour (see note 6 if you prefer to use cake flour)
- ¼ cup 25 g cornstarch (also called cornflour)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 3½ large 410 g ripe, soft bananas, peeled
- ½ cup 113 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup 105 g unflavored vegetable oil (canola oil recommended)
- 1½ cups 300 g granulated white sugar
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract or essence
- ½ cup 125 g Greek yogurt, at room temperature
Caramel
- ½ cup 100 g granulated white sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- ¼ cup 60 g cream, room temperature, with at least 34% fat
- 2 tablespoons 28 g unsalted butter, cold
- A pinch of salt
- Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 batch of my cream cheese frosting recipe
Instructions
Banana Cake
- Preheat your oven to 160°C (320°F) with the fan setting on (see note 1 if your oven doesn’t have a fan function). Prepare two 8-inch cake tins by greasing and/or lining them—homemade cake release works well for this. In a bowl, sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and ground cinnamon. Use a whisk or fork to mix everything evenly and set aside. Mash the bananas thoroughly with a potato masher or fork and set them aside for now.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter, vegetable oil, and sugar. Using an electric mixer—hand or stand mixer both work fine (see note 2)—cream the ingredients together for about 2 minutes until the mixture is light and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well for about 10-15 seconds after each addition. Next, add the mashed bananas, vanilla extract, and Greek yogurt, mixing on medium speed until fully incorporated. The batter may appear slightly curdled at this point, but that’s normal.
- Set your mixer aside and finish mixing the batter by hand. Gradually fold in the pre-mixed dry ingredients using a spatula until just combined, ensuring there are no visible streaks of flour. Be careful not to overmix (see note 3). Pour the batter evenly into the two prepared 8-inch tins, then gently tap the tins on the counter to release any large air bubbles. Bake for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Once baked, let the cakes cool in their tins for 15-20 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Wait until fully cooled before filling or topping with caramel and cream cheese frosting.
Caramel
- In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water, stirring to coat the sugar evenly with the water. Place the pan over medium heat and allow the mixture to heat and bubble without stirring (see note 4). Once the sugar turns a light amber color throughout—this may take more than 5 minutes—remove the pan from heat. Immediately and gradually pour in the cream while whisking vigorously to prevent clumping (see note 5 if your caramel seizes). Add the cold butter and salt, stirring until the butter has completely melted. Transfer the caramel to a heatproof bowl and cover it with cling wrap, pressing the wrap directly onto the surface of the caramel to prevent a skin from forming as it cools.
Notes
Note 1: This recipe is made using an oven with the fan function turned on. The fan-forced setting bakes cakes and cupcakes faster, so if your oven does not have a fan option, increase the baking temperature to 175°C (347°F) to ensure your cake or cupcakes bake at the same pace as mine. 🙂
Note 2: When using a stand mixer, start with the paddle attachment for the initial mixing steps, but finish the final folding step by hand as described in the recipe.
Note 3: Gently folding in the dry ingredients helps prevent too much gluten development, resulting in a softer cake. Mix only until all the streaks of flour disappear and the batter is uniform.
Note 4: Avoid stirring the sugar and water mixture while it’s heating, as this can cause the sugar to clump and prevent you from achieving a smooth caramel.
Note 5: If your caramel becomes clumpy, place it over low heat and stir gently to help it come back together. If some clumps remain, strain the caramel and discard the lumps.
Note 6: You can substitute cake flour for the all-purpose flour and cornstarch in this recipe, using a total of 305 grams.