It's been quite long while since I've posted a new recipe. I took a long break at the beginning of the year to catch up with life, home renovations (still really behind on those) and for a much needed mental health break. Feeling great and super excited to get back into sharing all the things with you! Today I'm sharing one of my favorite cake recipes, and one that my girls go crazy for. My banana cake with salted caramel and peanut butter buttercream. This cake is just the perfect comfort food.
Banana Cake
If you love banana bread, you will LOVE this banana cake recipe. It's so satisfying to bake a cake that is super simple to make, bakes up beautifully, stays incredibly moist and tastes like a dream. Even better, this cake tastes even more amazing after a couple days. Yes, a couple of days. Looking at you busy moms/dads and bakery owners.
This cake recipe makes a lot of batter. You can bake 3 taller 8" or 9" round cakes or you can bake these in two 8" or 9" cake pans that are 3" tall, and torte them. I have baked these in 2" tall 8" pans that have been collared with parchment paper.
How to make banana cake
This banana cake is simple and quick to make. Whisk together the dry ingredients - all purpose flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, finely mash the bananas. Butter and sugar are creamed together until light and fluffy. Make sure the mixture is really light and fluffy. This helps make the banana cake light and not so heavy, which some banana cakes are prone to be.
Eggs and vanilla are added followed by alternating the flour mixture and the sour cream. Scrape the bowl often to make sure everything is being mixed and incorporated properly. The mashed bananas are beat in until just combined. The cakes will bake up tall, even and gorgeous, and your house will smell absolutely amazing. So, so good.
Salted caramel
All components of this cake can be made in advance, and salted caramel is always great baking staple to have on hand. A few tips for salted caramel success:
Be sure to not stir the caramel while the caramel is cooking.
Keep a close eye on the caramel while it's cooking. It can go from amber to burnt quickly.
The caramel will thicken as it sits in the refrigerator. If you want it even thicker, reduce the cream to ⅓ cup (76g).
Salted caramel can be stored in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Peanut butter buttercream
Peanut butter buttercream is silky, smooth, sweet, salty and crazy delicious. We could not stop eating it off a spoon. I used my go to Swiss meringue buttercream recipe and added 1 ¼ cups of creamy peanut butter. If you find that your buttercream is a bit too soft after adding the peanut butter, pop in the fridge for 10-15 minutes, then mix again on low speed.
Assembly
This banana cake recipe is designed to bake up pretty flat with no domes, so there shouldn't be a lot of trimming to be done with your cakes. If your cake does dome a bit, trim the tops with a serrated knife. To assemble, fit a piping bag with a large round tip ( I use an Ateco 808), and fill with peanut butter buttercream. Place one cake layer on a cake board or cake stand. Spread a thin layer of buttercream over the cake. Pipe a dam around the edge of the cake to prevent the salted caramel from spilling over the sides of the cake. Pipe buttercream over the salted caramel, creating a ¼" layer of buttercream. Add the second cake layer and repeat with the salted caramel and buttercream. Place the third and final layer on top, and frost the outside and top of the cake. Decorate with roasted, salted peanuts and salted caramel drizzle.
If you make this banana cake with salted caramel and peanut butter buttercream, let me know! Drop a comment or tag me on Instagram. I love seeing your creations.
Enjoy!
Ash xx
For more layer cake recipes, check out these posts:
Earl Grey Cake with Honey Buttercream and Blackberry Caramel
Strawberry Rose Buttermilk Cake
Chocolate Stout Cake with Coffee Irish Cream Buttercream
Recipe
Banana Cake with Salted Caramel and Peanut Butter Buttercream
Ingredients
Banana Cake
- 3 ¼ cups (390g) all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups (396g) granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup (227g) sour cream
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 6 medium bananas
Salted Caramel
- 1 cup (198g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup (114g) heavy cream, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Peanut Butter Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- 1 batch Swiss meringue buttercream
- 1 - 1¼ cups (270-338g) creamy peanut butter
- Salted, roasted peanuts, finely chopped
Instructions
Make the banana cake layers
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Prepare your cake pans. Brush the bottoms and sides of your cake pans with melted butter. Line the bottoms and sides with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, finely mash the bananas and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt and whisk to combine.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.
- Add in the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the sour cream, stopping to scrape the bowl after each addition.
- Add the bananas and beat until just combined.
- Divide the batter into the prepared baking pans. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few cooked crumbs. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
- Run a palette or butter knife around the cakes in their pans before turning them out to cool completely on cooling racks.
- Wrap the cooled cakes in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator a couple hours to firm up.
Make the salted caramel
- In a medium sized saucepan, combine the sugar and the water. Swirl the pan to moisten the sugar.
- Place the saucepan over medium heat. Let the sugar mixture cook, without stirring, until the sugar mixture turns a rich amber color. Take the mixture off the heat to stop the cooking process.
- Add the butter to the saucepan and whisk to combine. Be very careful as the mixture is incredibly hot and will bubble up and steam when the butter is added.
- Whisk in the heavy cream, followed by the vanilla and the salt until smooth.
- Let the caramel cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a glass jar to cool completely.
Make the peanut butter buttercream
- Mix the peanut butter into the prepared Swiss meringue buttercream. Add ½ cup/4oz at a time, to ensure the peanut butter gets thoroughly mixed into the buttercream.
Assemble the cake
- Work with chilled cake layers. Using a serrated knife, cut off the domes (if any) of the cake.
- Fit a piping bag with a large round tip ( I use an Ateco 808), and fill with peanut butter buttercream.
- Put one of the cake layers, cut side up onto an 8" cake board or directly onto a cake stand.
- Spread a thin, even layer of the buttercream on the cake layer with an offset spatula.
- Pipe a dam around the edge of the cake to prevent the salted caramel from spilling over the sides of the cake.
- Pipe buttercream over the salted caramel, creating a ¼" layer of buttercream.
- Add the second cake layer and repeat with the salted caramel and buttercream. Place the third and final layer on top, and frost the outside and top of the cake.
- Decorate with roasted, salted peanuts and salted caramel drizzle.
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