This Banana Cake is incredibly moist, packed with banana flavor, and topped with a browned butter maple frosting that will have you swooning. It's hands-down my favorite way to turn those spotted bananas into something special!
The warm notes of maple and nutty browned butter in this cake always remind me of cozy fall flavors. The aroma in the kitchen while baking is just as comforting as when baking my Banana Bread with Browned Butter.
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Why You'll Love Banana Cake with Browned Butter Maple Frosting
Big Banana Flavor: three whole bananas to make sure every single bite is moist and full of natural sweetness.
"Liquid Gold" Frosting: nutty browned butter mixed with maple syrup creates a flavor that takes the cake over the top.
No fail recipe: easy to whip up in a 9x13 pan or turn into a beautiful layer cake.
Key Ingredients for Banana Cake
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and instructions.
- Ripe Bananas: these keep the cake naturally sweet and incredibly moist.
- Buttermilk: this is my secret for a light, tender crumb that melts in your mouth.
- Browned Butter & Maple Syrup: these two are the stars of the frosting, adding a deep, nutty richness you just can't get any other way.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Buttermilk Substitute: if you're out of buttermilk, you can use a mix of ½ cup sour cream and ½ cup milk instead.
- Caramel Flavor Swap: for a deeper, almost caramel-like taste in the cake, try replacing half of the granulated sugar with brown sugar.
- Frosting Alternative: if you want to skip the browned butter frosting, you can top a slice with a big dollop of homemade whipped cream or make a cream cheese frosting.
Variations
- Chocolate Chip Twist: stir a ½ cup of mini chocolate chips into your batter for a little hit of chocolate in every bite.
- Toasted Nut Crunch: fold in ½ cup of toasted chopped pecans or walnuts to the batter for a little extra texture that pairs perfectly with the browned butter.
- Warm Spice Kick: double the cinnamon and add a pinch of ground ginger to the dry ingredients for a deeper, cozy fall flavor.
Tips for the Best Banana Cake
- Mash bananas well: mash your bananas until they are almost liquid to make sure the sweetness and moisture are perfectly mixed into every bite.
- Watch the butter: stay close to the stove when browning your butter; it turns from "liquid gold" to burnt quickly, so pull it off the heat as soon as it smells nutty.
- Chill before frosting: make sure your cake is 100% cool before you start frosting, or that delicious browned butter maple frosting will met right off.
Recipe FAQ's
Watch the butter carefully and let it bubble. It will begin to show brown bits in the bottom of the pan. You will start to smell the aroma of the nutty buttery goodness. Once it has browned, immediately remove from heat.
Yes. Divide cake batter between two round pans and bake 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
It is likely the banana cake batter was gluten in the flour was overworked.
Serving Suggestions
Serve Banana Cake with Maple Frosting with a glass of milk, or a cup of hot coffee. For a special treat serve with a scoop of Homemade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.
Storage
Store cake in an airtight container up to 5 days at room temperature. For longer storage, freeze up to 3 months.
More Recipes You'll Love
If you can't get enough of that delicious banana flavor, I have plenty of other favorites for you to try! For a classic treat, you can't go wrong with this Maple Walnut Banana Bread, or Easy Banana Pudding Poke Cake.
If you love the nutty flavor in this frosting, you'll have to try my Browned Butter Banana Muffins. If you want something more elegant, my Banana Layer Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is always a huge hit.
I'd love to hear how this cake turned out for you! If you give it a try, leave a comment and a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating to let me know what you think. Don't forget to snap a photo and tag me on Instagram @grumpyshoneybunch. Seeing your kitchen creations always makes my day!
📖 Recipe
Banana Cake with Browned Butter Maple Frosting
Equipment
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Ingredients
For the Cake
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2¼ cups flour
- 1½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 3 medium bananas , mashed
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
For the Browned Butter Maple Frosting
- 2½ cups powdered sugar
- 4 tablespoon butter browned
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 2½ tablespoon half and half
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- In a medium, bowl mash bananas, add melted butter, eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk.
- Pour liquid over flour mixture and mix with a hand mixer until well blended.
- Pour in a 9x13 glass baking pan and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool completely.
For The Frosting
- Brown the butter in a heavy saucepan. Over medium-high heat, melt butter.
- Watch the butter carefully and let it bubble. It will begin to show brown bits in the bottom of the pan. You will start to smell the aroma of the nutty buttery goodness.
- Once it has browned, immediately remove from heat. Pour butter over 2 cups of confectioner's sugar. Add maple syrup and the lesser amount of half and half.
- Adjust with remaining sugar and half and half as needed to make frosting of a spreadable consistency. Frost cooled cake. Garnish with toasted whole pecans. Makes 20 servings.
Andrea Jefferson says
I love the moisture and flavoring of this cake. A must try!
Dana says
Your recipe calls for 1/2 tablespoon baking powder.....is this a misprint?
Cannot wait to try this recipe, but will wait for your response. Thank you. Dana
Shelby says
Hi Dana, yes it is correct. I hope you enjoy! This is one of our favorites!
Michele @ Flavor Mosaic says
This cake looks amazing! Thanks for sharing.
Patsy K says
This looks so perfect for fall! Love it!
Carrie R says
This cake looks delicious! You wouldn't even know by looking at that this is a lower sugar version of a sweet treat. 🙂
Margaret says
I was going to make banana bread today, but after seeing this recipe I'm going to make this cake instead. It looks delicious!
Jersey Girl Cooks says
Sorry to hear about Grumpy. Watching his diet will make all the difference. Love this cake and it is great that the sugar is lowered. My next door neighbor has diabetes and this will be a good cake to make when they come over.
Curt says
Sorry to hear about Grumpy being diagnosed diabetic. It's a good thing he has people who love him to take good care of him.
Nice banana cake recipe! That should be a great start!
Beth Michelle says
I love the look of that frosting on that deliciously moist banana cake!!! Looks wonderful
RecipeGirl says
This looks absolutely delicious. I'm loving that Brown Butter frosting!!!
Di says
I'm not a big banana person, but that frosting sounds fabulous!
claudia @Whats cookin says
So sorry to hear about Grumpy. Hard to get use to, when mom found out, it was impossible for her not to cheat, she would even hide cookies. Then I learned how to use splenda as you have then went to Stevia much better.I only adapted her most favorite which were biscotti and apple pie. Came out great no issue whatsoever in the texture, however getting her to eat smaller portions was impossible. The good news is she controled it by diet the rest of her life just fine.. I wish you both all the best in this new way to cook, it will be beneficial for you both in the long run! Happy New Year and happy new beginning of healthy cooking... let me know if there is anything i can do to help anytime.. xo Claudia
Lisar says
I made this cake today and it is as good as it looks.
Barbara Bakes says
Sorry he's got diabetes, but I know you're up to the challenge and I'll look forward to all the great recipes you'll come up with in the new year. This cake looks like a fabulous start.
teresa says
such a gorgeous treat!
Bunny says
The cake looks yummy! Most of the women in my family are diabetics, Im not but my sisters and mother are and so was my grandmother.
Delishhh says
Another great idea for bananas - love it!
vanillasugarblog says
Shelby that looks so damn good girl!
Look at the bright side of the diabetes--it's so very treatable with diet. I've seen so many people literally get rid of diabetes just with diet alone!
Leslie says
Yikes....Diabetes is nothing to mess with. The cakes looks delis...anything with browned butter has my name written all over it.
bellini says
Diabetes does create a bit more of a challenge but is easily managed. Looks like you are on the right track Shelby for the new year for both of you. Glad you enjoyed your cruise, although I can't imagine not being able to have all that was spread before me...wink.
honeyb says
It does look delish! You can get whole wheat pastry flour from a website called http://www.honeyvillegrain.com (I got a 50 lb. bag from them!)--no matter how much you order, even by weight, shipping is always $4.49! (Just thought I'd pass that on, I have a hard time finding things like that around here.)
I will be trying this cake!
Lana @ Never Enough Thyme says
Oh, wow, this cake sounds so delicious! Love the combination of flavors you used. I think it would be perfect with a nice hot cup of coffee.
Peter M says
Shelby, that looks freakin' yummy...nice & thick to boot!