Browned Butter Banana Cake with Browned Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

This is based on a recipe that I inherited from my Grandmother. The cake was good, but did not have as much flavor as I wanted, ie., it was good, but not great. So I began experimenting with it because I expect my cakes to be GREAT, not good. One of the changes I made was with the butter.

American butter is 18%-19% water. When cooked to a golden glow, the water cooks out, leaving an intense butter taste. It gives this banana cake an incredible taste that will have you coming back for more…. And more…. And more.

The Inside Scoop

When both volumetric and weight measures are provided, the volumetric measures should be considered approximations. The standard measure for a cup of sugar is 192 grams. By volume, this measure may be less than 1 cup.

Butter becomes 100% fat once the water is cooked out. When using browned butter, I had to use less butter than normal, otherwise the cake would collapse due to too much fat. However, the loss of water in the butter had to be accounted for in other ways. It took me a “few” tries to correctly balance the butter and moisture (liquids and sugar) so that the cake had an amazing flavor but didn’t collapse.

When cooking the butter, remove the skillet from the heat as soon as the milk solids begin to turn a golden brown. Butter will burn easily because the butter will continue to brown after removing from the heat. If the butter begins to burn, you may be able to salvage it by pouring the butter through a very fine mesh strainer, cheesecloth or jelly bag. Be sure to let the butter cool to room temperature and solidify before using.

Once refrigerated, browned butter will become much firmer (harder) than the original butter due to the loss of the water in the butter.

Be sure eggs are at room temperature. Warm eggs hold more air than cold eggs, which means a lighter cake. To quickly bring eggs to room temperature before cracking, place eggs in a bowl of warm (not hot) water for 10 minutes.

Line the bottom of one or two 9″ round cake pans (for a 1 or 2 layer cake) with parchment paper. To do this, place the cake pan(s) on parchment paper. Use a marker to trace around the outside of the pan(s) to form circles. Cut out the circle(s) by cutting away the paper with the marker ink. (Dispose of the paper with the marker ink on it.) If necessary, trim the paper to fit inside the pan. Place the parchment paper in the bottom of the pan(s); spray with a non-stick cooking spray.

Crack eggs into a small bowl before adding to the batter. That way, it is easy to remove any bits of eggshell or bloody eggs..

Combine the flour mix, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl; mix until leaveners and salt are evenly distributed throughout the flour; this helps to ensure an even rise.

Bananas vary in size; 3 medium bananas may be the right amount, or may not be enough and then your cake lacks flavor or may be too much and then your cake collapses. Weigh your bananas to ensure you have the right amount.

Use a fork to mash your bananas slightly. This will leave you with some small bits of banana for extra banana flavor.

Cornstarch is used in this recipe because it serves a number of functions in baked goods. Some, but not all of these functions include: It acts as a binder; it helps thicken the batter by “gelling” during baking which creates an alternative structure to gluten; it helps with the suspension of fats and proteins in the batter; and it helps “soften” the proteins in flour, thus creating a more tender crumb similar to cake flour. Substitutes for cornstarch include Tapioca flour and Arrowroot flour.

Wheat flours contain gluten. Extended mixing can create a strong gluten structure, which results in a chewy crumb and a tough crust. Gently stir in or fold the flour mix into the batter by making a well in the middle of your flour and pouring the liquid mix into the middle. This ensures there is no dry flour on the bottom of the bowl. Then, using your spatula, slice down through the middle of the bowl and gently lift the batter on the side and fold over.

As my husband and I are “empty nesters,” I made a single layer cake, cut it in half and stacked the two halves. For a full 2-layer cake, simply refer to the ingredients for a 2-layer cake.

This can also be made as cupcakes.

Print Recipe

Browned Butter Banana Cake with Browned Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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By Connie Teunis – Serves: 12-24

A lushly moist banana cake enhanced with the flavor of browned butter.

Ingredients

• Ingredients for a 1-layer Cake:
• 170 g./ 1 1/2 sticks Unsalted Butter, cooked until golden brown and cooled to room temperature; divided
• 170 g./ 1 1/3 c. + 1 T. All-Purpose Flour
• 30 g./ ¼ c. Cornstarch*
• ½ t. Baking soda
• ½ t. Salt
• 192 g./ 1 c. Granulated Sugar
• 1 Large Egg
• 2 T. Buttermilk, Shaken
• 1 t. Vanilla
• 275 g./ 1 c. (approximately) Bananas, fork mashed, leaving visible chunks of banana
• Frosting:
• 85 g./ 3 oz. Cream Cheese
• 59 g./ 4 T. Browned Butter
• 240 g./ 2 c. Powdered Sugar
• Ingredients for a 2-layer Cake
• 339 g./ 3 sticks Unsalted Butter, cooked until golden brown and cooled to room temperature; divided
• 340 g./ 2 2/3 c. + 2 T. All-Purpose flour
• 60 g./ ½ c. Cornstarch*
• 1 t. Baking Soda
• 1 t. Salt
• 384 g./ 2 c. Granulated Sugar
• 2 Large Eggs
• ¼ c. Buttermilk, Shaken
• 2 t. Vanilla
• 550 g./ 2 c. (approximately) Bananas, fork mashed, leaving visible chunks of banana
• Frosting:
• 170 g./ 6 oz. Cream Cheese
• 113 g./ 8 T. Browned Butter
• 480 g./ 4 c. Powdered Sugar
• *Tapioca flour or Arrowroot flour can be substituted.

Instructions

1

Make the Browned Butter:

2

Place the butter in a skillet and place on medium heat, cook until butter sticks are melted. Reduce heat to low and continue cooking, stirring gently, until browned milk solids begin to settle on the bottom of the pan. Remove from the heat; let cool until butter has softly solidified and cooled to room temperature. Measure out 62 g./ 4 T. + 1 t. Browned butter for a 1-layer cake, 124 g./ ½ c. + 2 t. Browned Butter for a 2-layer cake. Set the remaining butter aside for the frosting.

3

Make the Cake:

4

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 1 or 2 cake pans (for a 1- or 2-layer cake) with parchment paper. Spray the pan(s) with a non-stick cooking spray and set aside. If you prefer cupcakes, line the cups of a cupcake tin with cupcake papers; spray the papers with a non-stick cooking spray.

5

Place the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt in a medium/large bowl; set aside.

6

In a small/medium bowl, fork mash the bananas; set aside.

7

In a medium bowl, combine the cooled browned butter and granulated sugar; mix together either by hand or with an electric mixer. Add the egg(s); mix together until completely combined. Add the buttermilk, vanilla and bananas; mix. Set aside.

8

Make a well in the middle of the flour mix. Pour in the wet ingredients. Use a silicone or rubber spatula to gently fold the ingredients together until combined and there is no dry flour. Pour into the cake pan(s).

9

Bake at 350 degrees for 34 minutes, or until a metal cake tester inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. For cupcakes, begin checking for doneness after 18 minutes.

10

Remove from oven; let cool completely.

11

Icing:

12

Run a knife around the edge of the cake pan and remove one layer of the cake from the cake pan. Place upside down on a cake plate and remove the parchment paper. If making only a half cake, cut the layer in half and set one half aside.

13

Combine cream cheese and browned butter in a medium bowl. (Refrigerate any remaining browned butter.) Beat with an electric mixer until light. Add the powdered sugar; by hand or on the lowest speed of the mixer, mix until powdered sugar is mixed into the cheese/butter. Then turn the mixer to a medium-high speed and mix until frosting is smooth. If frosting is too stiff, add milk, ½ teaspoon at a time, until frosting is of a spreadable consistency.

14

Brush off any cake crumbs. Spread approximately ½ cup (for a half cake) or 1 cup (for a full 2-layer cake) of frosting on the bottom layer. Place remaining half or second layer (remember to remove the parchment paper) of the cake bottom side down on top of the bottom layer. Frost with the remaining frosting.

15

Enjoy!