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.